Book One of The From Darkness To Light Trilogy:When The Darkness Fades
by XxMoonlitShadowxX
Summary: Hermione Granger never thought that she'd see Draco Malfoy and his friends ever again. She certainly didn't think she would be marrying them. When the pureblood population dwindles, she finds herself forced into a marriage contract with none other than Draco, Blaise and Theo. Needing to start a brand new bloodline, they must work together to create love and hope in a broken world.
1. Chapter 1

When the Darkness Fades Chapter 1

Draco leaned towards the cracked window that led out into the brilliant night sky above.

The wind was chilly and frigid for a December night.

The winter had been long so far and the coldest that Wizarding London had ever seen.

How he wished that he could just float away into the freedom of the night sky instead of sit in the meeting room of the Malfoy Manor.

Anything would be better than the news he was about to hear.

"Draco, stop day dreaming. This is a serious matter."

His father said as Draco turned back to the table of pureblood witches and wizards.

Shaking his head he leaned forward on the table's edge and gave his father a tired smile.

"Sorry father. It's just been a long day."

A few of the witches and wizards chuckled and shook their heads as even Lucius cracked a smile at his son's antics.

"Yes it has and the meeting will be over soon. We just need to vote on the final decision."

Draco nodded and scooted towards Blaise and Theo who wore anxious expressions much like his own.

The war had ended a few months before and Draco and his family had been on trial and got off fairly easy because of Voldemort using the Imperious Curse on Lucius.

Narcissa and Draco had told the court their story about how they never had wanted to be a follower of the Dark Lord and that they only took the mark out of fear for the safety of their family.

Harry Potter and Hermione Granger had each spoken for them in the trials, as well as other Gryffindor survivors that kept the few innocent surviving Death Eaters alive and out of Azkaban.

Now that they were free to live their lives, the members of the Sacred 28 realized how much they really did lose in the war leading to this very meeting tonight at the Manor.

Lucius sat at the head of the table as he gave his son and his friends a look that could only be described as sympathy.

"As you all know, the population numbers of the Sacred 28 has taken a hard blow since the war and we need a solution to continue the bloodline.

The strongest magical families sitting at this table must make a sacrifice in hope that our bloodlines will grow and prosper once again.

In which I propose that the youngest and strongest of our kin shall form a new union with another solid bloodline in the Wizarding World.

We all have debated back and forth on this issue but the problem still remains.

The laws and times have changed since we were under the Dark Lord's power and not many Pureblood Innocents still exist.

Therefore, it is in our best interest to include Muggleborns into the equation.

After searching long and hard about the origins of several Muggleborn families know to have produced an heir with strong magic equal to ours, we know there is only one witch that has the potential to solve this conundrum.

The witch that we will create a union with will be Hermione Jean Granger.

Not only does she have the strongest magic of our era she is also a hero that has saved all of our lives.

So, I hereby propose that a marriage contract shall be issued between Draco, Blaise Zambini and Theo Nott with Mrs. Granger.

All in favor of this decision please raise your hand."

Draco shot up onto his feet as he watched every witch and wizards hand raise.

"But…We can't! It's Hermione for godsakes! We were the ones who tormented her for years! She'll never the contract!"

He screamed as his voice cracked with anger.

Lucius shook his head and pointed to Draco's chair indicating that he should sit down.

"Sit down, Draco.

I know that this is a less than desirable union based on the fact that we were on opposites of the war, but nonetheless it will happen.

We will be issuing the contract through the Ministry of Magic who will give Mrs. Granger no choice but to accept.

She will not slip through our fingers.

She is far too great a prize for our bloodlines for us to do anything but what we have proposed.

I have a meeting set with Kingsley Shacklebolt who will sign off on the contract.

It is written in the laws that if the bloodlines of the Sacred 28 had gone down that we have the right to choose how we restore our numbers."

Draco's mouth open and closed several times before his body started to sway to and fro.

Everyone gasped when the young Malfoy hit the floor in a dead faint.

Lucius sighed as he gripped Narcissa's hand tightly.

Turning to Blaise and Theo he pointed to his unconscious son and then to the stairs leading upstairs.

"Blaise, Theo, please take Draco upstairs and when he wakes try and make him see reason."

Both boys nodded and proceeded to carry their shocked friend upstairs to his private wing.

"At least she's buggin hot now."

Theo remarked as Blaise nodded in agreement.

"And she'll be all ours come morning."

Blaise said as the two boys exchanged a hopeful look.

Everyone had agreed to the sacred union.

All accept a very, unsuspecting Hermione Granger.


	2. Chapter 2

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 2

In a plush, canopy bed Hermione Granger snored amongst the pillows with her favorite down comforter wrapped tightly around her.

It was peaceful and quiet in her room at the Burrow and she was enjoying a rather rare treat of sleeping in past noon.

Or so she thought.

BAM!

"Ouch!"

"Damnit Gin!"

"Shove off Ron!"

She was rudely shaken awake as both Ginny Weasley and her brother Ron jumped onto her bed and started fighting with poor Hermione underneath them.

"GINNY! RONALD! WHAT ON MERLIN'S GREEN EARTH ARE YOU DOING?!"

She screamed as she tried and failed to push the red headed siblings off of her.

Just then a disheveled and sleepy Harry sauntered into the room as he leaned against one of the bedposts while sipping a warm mug of coffee.

Looking none too surprised at the situation, he waited a few moments before he set his coffee down onto the nightstand beside the bed and cleared his throat.

"GINERVA WEASLEY AND RONALD WEASLEY! GET YOUR ASSES OFF THIS BED RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"

Everyone in the room froze including Hermione as Ginny and Ron looked at each other and then slowly turned to face Harry who wore a peeved expression.

"I'm sure Mione would appreciate it if she was allowed to shower and change before we descend upon her."

He said as Hermione nodded her head with her arms crossed over her chest.

"But Harry she's got a buggin letter from the Minister of Magic! I want to know what it says!"

Ron whined before Ginny gave him a slap over the head making him let out a very undignified "Ow."

The sleepy haze that she had been in moments before cleared instantly as Hermione's brain whirred to life at the thought of what the Minister needed from her.

"I've got a letter? And where is this said letter?"

She questioned as she got out of bed and started to pace back and forth making her friends look on in concern.

"It's downstairs. Mum and Dad were reading it."

Ginny said as she exchanged a look with Harry and Ron.

"Alright. Let's go. We need to read this letter then."

Hermione said with a note of finality in her voice.

Making her way downstairs, she found Molly and Arthur Weasley talking quietly amongst themselves with a letter sprawled out between them.

"Good morning."

She said making the two heads of the Weasley clan jump in their seats before giving her a sweet yet hesitant smile.

"Good morning, Hermione! Come let me feed you. I can already tell the others will be needing their stomachs filled as well."

Molly started but Hermione didn't take the bait.

"Where's the letter Mrs. Weasley?"

She questioned as she looked between Molly and Arthur.

Mrs. Weasley looked crestfallen at Hermione's sharp tone but gave her a smile none the less.

"Please sit, Hermione. It seems as though Kingsley requires you to meet him in his office at 1:00 this afternoon. We asked Percy about what he might want and he says there are rumors going around in the office but he doesn't know for sure."

Hermione glanced over her shoulder at Harry, Ron and Ginny who were standing in the door way of the kitchen wearing nervous expressions.

Harry gave her a reassuring smile and nodded making her confidence grow as she took a seat across from Molly and Arthur at the dining room table.

"Here is the letter that Kingsley has sent you. Please read it carefully and let us know if you know what on earth all this is about."

Arthur handed her the letter as she read it over and over trying to decipher its meaning.

 **Dear Mrs. Granger,**

 **I hope you are well and enjoying a quiet summer at the Burrow. There is a pressing matter that has come up and I need you to be present at a meeting in my office at 1:00 sharp this afternoon. It is a mandatory meeting to discuss some new changes in the laws that will have a great effect on you and your friends. Please be forewarned that what is discussed in this meeting will not leave my office until further notice. This matter is of a personal nature and I ask that you hear it out with an open mind and open heart.**

 **Take care,**

 **Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt**

Hermione looked up and saw that everyone in the room was giving her a range of different looks making her even more nervous about what they had heard.

Turning to Arthur she folded up the letter and nodded as she pushed a piece of her long caramel locks behind her ear.

"Alright Mr. Weasley. What has Percy heard about this meeting?"

Arthur exchanged a look with his wife before he cleared his throat and looked Hermione in the eyes.

"Apparently this meeting is going to involve several former death eater families. No one knows what the meeting is about but it involves you and some members of their families. He had also heard that the law that they are going to talk about is something archaic that hasn't been used in centuries."

Taking a deep breath, she let it out as she looked around the room.

"Well, it's a mandatory meeting so I can't ignore it and hope that it goes away. I need to go upstairs and get ready seeing as how it's already 12:45. I need to be at the Ministry in fifteen minutes. Since I am not allowed to discuss what this meeting entails, you all will have to wait and see what happens. When I know more I'll let you know."

Everyone in the room nodded solemnly as she got to her feet and headed upstairs to get ready for a reunion with her least favorite people. Death eaters.

The clock tower had just rung 1:00 as Draco, Blaise and Theo waited with their families at the table in the new Minister's office.

The boys were almost certain that Hermione wouldn't show but just as they were about to lose hope completely, the former curly haired witch burst through the door; huffing and puffing like she had ran all the way there.

"I'm…Sorry..I'm…Late…"

Hermione wheezed as she began to straighten out her black pencil skirt and white blouse.

Kingsley Shacklebolt immediately appeared in front of her and gestured to the last seat at the table.

"Please come in, Hermione. I assure you that you are not late."

As Hermione looked around the room, her heart froze in her chest as she saw Draco, his friends and their families sitting down at the opposite end of the table.

Draco gave her a hesitant smile while Theo and Blaise waved making her feel awkward and slightly confused.

Taking a seat, she clasped her hands in her lap and crossed her legs as Kingsley began the meeting.

"Hermione, I'm sure you know Draco, Blaise and Theo from your class at Hogwarts. These are their parents which I am told that you've already met as well during the war. Let me be clear that absolutely no one in this room has any ill feelings or ill intentions towards you and that violence is the furthest thing from their minds. The matter that we are discussing today should be a rather happy one once you calm down from the tirade that I know you will have. To start off, what do you know about the Pureblood Sacred 28?"

Hermione tilted her head to the side and thought back to her research on pureblood society.

"Well, not much to be honest. I know that a lot of the Pureblood teachings are passed down from parents to children at a young age and not many outside of the Sacred 28's coven knows anything at all about what goes on between the houses. But what I do recall is it is made up of the strongest magical pureblood families in the Wizarding World and I'm guessing because you all are here that you're a part of the 28."

She said as she shot a look over at Draco who nodded with a sheepish look.

"Yes, Mrs. Granger. We are the three strongest magical families in the Sacred 28 and have a rather dire need for your help. I know that we all were on opposite sides of the war, but let me reassure you that none of mean you any harm and that really we want quite the opposite of that."

Lucius said as he gestured towards the rest of the group with a small smile.

Hermione had known that Lucius had been under the Imperious Curse for years and that the Lucius she had known was not the man sitting before her.

But the man that was in front of her she realized she didn't know at all making her wonder what he wanted with her.

"That's all very kind of you to say, but I must ask that we get to the point. I'm not one for beating around the bloody bush."

She said as she held her head high and met the eyes of Kingsley who looked on in fascination.

"Hermione, the reason we are here today is because of the war. The war has taken many lives of the Sacred 28 and the pureblood community is dwindling as their magic has become less potent. Because of this, the Sacred 28 has put into effect a rather ancient law that protects and prospers the remaining Sacred 28. In this law it states that if there is over half of the members that have been lost in the 28, then the remaining families have the right to choose suitable matches for the of age members and create a new bloodline of healthy offspring. It is because of this that I hereby sign off on the Sacred Marriage of Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zambini, Theodore Nott and Hermione Jean Granger. As soon as sign the papers, the Marriage Contract will be permanent. In no way, shape or form will any of you be able to leave one another after this has been put into effect. Starting tonight you all will start to live together in a proper pureblood household that we have already designated. There is no way out of this contract, as your union will be soulbound and will remain until each of you dies of natural causes. Anyone who tries to fight the contract, or tries to pursue another courtship will be caused great pain in you and your partners because of the inappropriate act. The goal of this marriage will be to birth a new bloodline of offspring that will in turn have the strongest magic of the 28 and will be able to lead the coven into prosperity and happiness once again. We will sign the papers in five minutes. If anyone needs a moment please take it now."

As soon as the last word came out of the Minister's mouth Hermione let out a blood curling scream as she got to her feet with tears staining her makeup covered cheeks.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL THAT I AM GOING TO MARRY ANY OF YOU! IF I GET THROWN INTO AZKABAN THEN SO BE IT BUT I WOULD RATHER DIE THEN GIVE MYSELF TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES!"

She screamed before she broke into heart wrenching sobs.

Collapsing to the floor, she cried harder when she thought of how the union would be permanent and how she wished she had never come to this godforsaken meeting.

Blaise took a step forward, concerned for his bride to be's welfare, but Lucius held him back as he shook his head and made him and the others turn away for a few moments; allowing the young girl to cry.

"Kingsley….There must be something you can do…"

She pleaded but the older man shook his head and gave her a sad smile.

"Alas, Mrs. Granger. There is nothing that I can do. The law was written at the beginning of time and is to be followed no matter what. I'm sorry to tell you that we need to sign the papers now. Everyone please come over to my desk and gather round."

Everyone gathered around the desk and looked to Hermione who sat on the floor in a mess of tears and ruined makeup.

Sniffling, her cries turned into hiccups as she realized that there was nothing that she could do but sign the damn papers.

Shakily getting to her feet, she held her head high as she marched over to the table and took her place next to Draco.

Draco reached out a hesitant hand and placed it on the small of her back only to be rejected as she moved away from him.

"Will Hermione Granger, Blaise Zambini, Draco Malfoy, and Theodore Nott please step forward?"

Kingsley said as they all obeyed and made a circle around a golden scroll that glistened in the afternoon light that shone in from the floor to ceiling windows.

"Draco, Blaise and Theo do you agree to protect, care for and love your bride to be?"

They all murmured yes's as Hermione watched the scroll sparkle.

"Please point your wand at your names and repeat after me."

Kingsley said as he looked on in an authoritative manner.

"I, son of the Sacred Coven, vow to make my bride welcome and forever cherished until the day my magic dies. I promise to clothe her and fill her with my sons so one day my coven will prosper once more. In the name of the Moon and the Goddesses above, Blessed Be."

Hermione couldn't help but be fascinated by the vows that each of her now husband's to be were willing to take for her.

It was all rather sweet now that she thought about it.

They were quite literally giving up their lives, dreams and hopes to cherish her in a sacred marriage that would save the pureblood community as they knew it.

In that moment, she felt her heart change as their magic flowed through her.

The love that they felt for her was everlasting and when it came time for her to point her wand at her name, she vowed that she would make this marriage work and start a new life as their bride.

When all of them had signed the contract, Kingsley waved his wand over the scroll and it burst into a bright golden light momentarily blinding all of them before disappearing into thin air.

"Congratulations to all of you now that you are engaged. If you have any questions or concerns about the law, contract or anything else you can think of, please do not hesitate to stop by as my office door is always open. Please be reminded that this contract and your engagement is to be kept quiet until the wedding where it will be made public for the first time. Starting tonight you will be living on an estate that has been specially designated for this purpose. I shall give Lucius the directions so you all can move your things into your new home. Good luck and I'll see you on the day of the wedding."

Kingsley said before he apparated out of the room.

Hermione stood there with her new fiancée's as the magnitude of what they had just done settled within them.

Coming to terms with marrying not just one man, but three was quite a startling thing for her to accept; but nonetheless she had vowed that she would try.

Starting with now.

Turning to her boys, she gave them a small smile as she held out her hands in a peace offering.

"Hello, my dear fiancées. It seems as though we're getting married."

She said playfully as her eyes sparkled with mischief.

Blaise and Theo came on each of her sides and slid a hand around her lower back and upper shoulders while Draco took her hands in his own and placed gentle kisses on both sides of them making her giggle like a little school girl.

"Welcome to the family, Hermione."

He said in an alluring tone making her heart beat out of her chest with happiness.

And so it began. Four different people from four different backgrounds coming together to start their new journey as a family.


	3. Chapter 3

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 3

Hermione instantly regretted her decision to agree so fast to something that she knew wouldn't be easy for her.

As she and her boys arrived at their new estate's outer gates, she cringed when she saw how elaborate and fancy everything was.

There was a high stone wall that encompassed the entire estate and large wrought iron gates that had a symbol of a dragon engraved in the metal.

As Lucius opened the gates, she decided to ask one of the boys later about the symbol on them.

Stepping onto the long cobblestone pathway that led in several different directions around the property, she felt her breath hitch in her throat as the grandness of the manor sunk in.

There were gardens everywhere and a large stone fountain with the magical moving statue of a green dragon right in the middle of the lawn in front of the manor.

As they walked up the pathway to the mansion, she spied a large garden maze that towered over the back end of the property.

She felt herself jump when a familiar voice sounded next to her ear.

"Do you like it, Granger? This estate has been in my family for years."

Draco's voice whispered quietly as he waited patiently for any type of response.

He, Blaise and Theo had become quite worried when their bride to be had fallen into spell of silence.

The blonde watched as his little witch turned and looked up at him with a surprised expression written all over her features.

"This is your family's property? Doesn't that mean that you're-"

Throwing caution to the wind Draco gently clasped his hand around her smaller one as she jerked slightly at his touch.

"Yes Granger. That means that the Malfoy's are the strongest family in the Sacred 28."

Hermione nodded and decided to research what that meant as soon as she could.

Theo placed a gentle hand on her lower back making her turn and look up at the tall, dark haired wizard.

She hadn't known Theo while she was at Hogwarts and had only seen him when Draco and the other Slytherin's were terrorizing the entire school.

But as she met his bright emerald eyes, she saw something that she never expected to see.

Warmth. Love. Worry.

"Hermione, I know that this is all very sudden and we know that you don't have happy memories of us from the past but please realized that we all have changed in our own ways and we really do mean no harm to you. All we want is a chance to love you and fill this house with love and make it home that we all can share. I thought since you've known Draco for a while, that Blaise and I could show you to your wing of the house that you'll be staying in while we plan the wedding."

Hermione was hesitant at the thought of being alone with Blaise and Theo, but they were two of her fiancé's now and she couldn't very well avoid them for the rest of their lives. So instead of brushing off his offer much like she would've if they were still at Hogwarts, she gave him a shy smile and nodded making his eyes light up with relief.

"Yes that would be lovely Theo. Please show me the way."

She said as Blaise came up beside her and placed her hand in the crook of his arm.

"Oh thank Merlin. We were worried that you would run off and hide from us until the day of the wedding. I do hope that you will be alright with us getting to know each other better as the days go on."

Draco turned back to face them as he walked backwards while they made their way up to the mansion.

"Just remember, Granger. We're all in this together and we'll take it one day at a time."

Hermione couldn't help but feel reassured by their words and promised herself and them that she would try as hard as she could to make this work.

"Thank you all for your kind words. I do think that we should all try and spend as much time as we can together while we prepare for the wedding. It's going to be a rather long and hard road ahead of us if we don't at least try to get along."

All three of her boys nodded as they all turned their attention to Lucius, as he started undoing the wards and opened the door allowing them to step into the grand receiving room.

Hermione felt herself gasp and let out a little girlish giggle as she broke away from her fiancés and spun in a circle, taking in the light green walls and the dark mahogany floors.

As they stepped into the room they saw that the receiving room was medium size and had an elegant crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

There were two coat closets on either side of the room and a small bench the same color as the floor that you could sit and remove your shoes on.

Surprisingly, there was both a fireplace connected to the floo network and a muggle old fashioned telephone.

Lucius followed her eyes and gave her a smile that lasted for a second before he went back to his usual stony expression.

"Seeing as how you're muggle born we thought that both a floo and a telephone would be of great use to you."

He said before he turned and strolled into the next room that was beautiful, large living room that had azure colored walls and couches and chairs that were a pretty shade of powder blue.

There was a large glass coffee table in the middle of the living room with a small white and blue bench that sat next to it.

Various muggle paintings hung on the walls and a large blue and white Persian carpet lay beneath their feet.

The thing that blew Hermione away the most though were the glistening floor to ceiling windows that looked out on a side garden off to the left of the house.

Stepping up to the windows she marveled at the soft wisteria plants that green on garden trellis's right alongside the house.

They also were shown a large modern kitchen with stainless steel appliances and a huge island in the middle of the room with bar stools seated beneath its ledge.

After the complete tour, Hermione had counted that the house had ten bedrooms all with complete sitting rooms and en suite bathrooms attached to everyone.

There were also various hobby rooms such a game room and a large indoor pool with a waterfall cascading magically in the middle.

Lucius and their parents eventually bid them adieu as Blaise and Theo took Hermione's hands and led her up the winding staircase to the second floor where all of the bedrooms were located.

Theo pointed to the left as Hermione followed his gaze down a long hallway.

"This is the left wing of the house and the other is the right wing. The left wing is where Blaise, Draco and I's rooms will be. The right side of the wing is all yours to do as you wish. Even after we're married you will still have access to every room in this mansion and if something is not to your liking, please feel free to change it however you like."

She found herself smiling as she barely contained her excitement.

Knowing that they were going to be married in a little less than two weeks, she thought for sure that she would be forced to sleep in the same bed as her fiancés but when they mentioned having her own wing she felt as though a large weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Sensing her excitement, Blaise barked out a laugh and shook his head before making a shooing motion with his hands at her.

"Go on, love. I guess we can always give each other some time for ourselves as we adjust to everything."

Hermione didn't need to be told twice.

Practically sprinting down the hallway she opened all of the doors to the rooms and inspected each one before deciding on the largest room for her own.

Looking around at the blank walls, she realized that they must've purposely left the room bare so she could design it to her own taste.

Letting out another little girlish squeal she pulled out her wand and started waving it in a circle at the walls.

Instantly color shot out of the tip as lime green paint now covered up the previous white.

Deciding to work on furnishing her sitting area, she waved her wand and made a long light colored wooden sofa with lime green upholstery on it appear along with two side tables that were the same wood as the couch with the exception of two lime green glazed lamps with a triangular pattern on the shades.

Spinning in a circle she made different wingback chairs appear in all types of lime green patterns.

The rug that she put on the floor was a swirly lime green, light blue, dark blue and white pattern and the coffee table that sat in the middle was a tiled lime green.

She smiled happily to herself as she made cutouts in the walls and put whitewash colored book cases in their place.

Seeing that there was no more work to do in the sitting room, she made her way into the bedroom space and made a four poster canopy bed appear with green and yellow curtains and white monogrammed linens.

She kept the same rug as the sitting room and charmed the walls into a green and white damask pattern before adding two wooden side tables and beige colored lamps.

Deciding that she was going to do her bathroom in a completely different color, she made her way into the large room and charmed the tiled tub and shower a dark royal blue color with white tiled floors.

The vanity and makeup table was also charmed a royal blue as she looked around and tried to think of what else she could add.

When she couldn't think of anything she pulled out her small purse and placed an enlargement charm on her personal belongs and filled the rooms with them.

Completely knackered after all the decorating that she had done she collapsed onto the couch in the sitting area and pulled a furry white blanket over herself and decided that hiding from the world was exactly what she needed after all.

She could hear the boys down the hall charming rooms left and right to make them their own and for a moment she really wished that she could have some time to think over everything that happened that day.

Just when her eyes were about to close in a dreamless sleep, a knock sounded on her door as she called for whoever it was to come in.

She heard a whistle noise and Draco's voice as he entered the room.

"Merlin, Granger I didn't think I would see you ever use the color green after us being in Slytherin, but I must say you've outdid yourself on the design."

Peeking slightly out of the blanket, she pushed herself up on her elbow as she watched him inspect every detail of the room and browse the bookshelves that were filled with every book she had ever owned.

Letting out an exhausted sigh she ran a hand through her long locks.

"I'm glad things are to your liking, Draco. If you wouldn't mind I would prefer that you call me Hermione instead of being on a last name basis. I do think it's time for us to get past any remnants of the feud that we had for years."

Draco turned to her quickly and looked surprised before his face went back to his usual regal expression.

"I didn't mean to offend you….Hermione. I guess old habits die hard. I do promise you that you will never have another ill intended word whispered to you as long as you live. All of us have agreed that we will protect you by any means necessary."

That made Hermione sit all the way up before she discarded the blanket onto the couch and strode over to her husband to be.

"It's alright, Draco. I can tell you've changed a great deal since we were children and I want you to know that I'm trusting all of you to be on your best behavior throughout this marriage."

The blonde wizard cracked a small smile before taking her hands and pulling her flush against his chest while looking down at her with amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Really, Hermione? You expect us to behave do you? I'm afraid that won't be happening little witch. Just remember, it won't be long until we all take you and make an honest woman out of you. And up until the wedding I cannot promise that any of us will behave seeing as how lovely and delectable you're looking."

Hermione felt herself blush as she moved so her hair hung down blocking her view of her smirking fiancé.

But Draco simply reached down and took hold of her chin, raising her head to look him in his stormy grey eyes.

"It will never be without your consent Hermione. We all will respect your wishes if you want to wait until the wedding night but honestly its killing all of us to finally have you to ourselves in this big empty house without being able to touch you. Perhaps you may let us have small allowances on that rule."

Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Hermione found herself speechless as she studied Draco's eyes.

They were so grey and she felt like she was drowning in them without a way to ever be saved.

And to be honest, she felt that she didn't want to be saved at all, but instead to be lost in them forever.

All she could do was nod to his request before his lips brushed against hers lightly making her sway slightly from the amazing sparks that lit up her heart.

"Good. I do look forward to making use of those allowances. But, that wasn't actually the reason I came here to find you. Blaise, Theo and I wanted to invite you down into the gardens where we can discuss house rules and what you would like us to do while we're together."

Finally finding her voice again, she was surprised at how husky and low it had become startling both her and Draco.

"That sounds good. I'll be down in a few minutes."

Draco gave her one last kiss and squeezed her sides before leaving her alone to her thoughts.

She stumbled into the bathroom and breathed hard as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Gone were the days of the timid and shy Hermione that had walked the halls of Hogwarts.

As she took the sight of her swollen, red lips and the faint blush that spread across her cheeks she knew that this was only the beginning.

Raising up to her full height, she brushed her hair off of her shoulders and fixed her posture so she stood straight in the best regal stance that she could master.

It was time to show her boys what she was really made of.


	4. Chapter 4

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 4

Hermione smoothed her hands down the pink sweater and tight white skinny jeans that she had changed into.

Her eyes fell to her light pink ballet flats as she fidgeted in front of the mirror.

She was quite sure that she hadn't worn any type of clothing that was pink since her infamous Yule Ball gown.

Wondering what the boys would think of her sudden liking for more cheery colors, she turned and headed out the door and down the steps as she made her way to the garden.

When she stepped out into the backyard, she gasped at the beautiful sight of both magical and muggle flowers.

As she walked deeper into the garden on the cobblestone path, a smile lit up her features when she saw that Blaise, Draco and Theo were all seated at a large wrought iron table with matching chairs that sat beneath a tunnel of flowers and had also changed out of their formal attire.

Blaise spotted her first as he gave a wave when she approached.

"Oy! Hermione! We're over here!"

Taking a seat next to Draco she rolled her eyes and crooked an eyebrow at her Italian fiancé.

"Really? I mean it's not like I was just standing a few feet in front of you or anything. How in Merlin's name could I miss you bunch?"

Draco started to chuckle as Blaise sent her a playful scowl.

"Glad to see that your wit and sense of humor hasn't dried up after finding out your bloody stuck with us forever."

Theo snapped his fingers and a small female house elf appeared in front of them.

Hermione was surprised when Theo smiled and introduced them to the little creature.

"Hello. My name is Theo and those blokes over there are Draco and Blaise. We're the Masters of the Estate now and that gorgeous woman right there is our new Mistress. What might your name be?"

The little elf squealed and jumped up and down making them all share a look.

"Hello Masters and Mistress! My name is Ellie and I'll happy to serve you while you stay at the manor. Is there anything that Ellie can do for you, Master Theo?"

Theo nodded and leaned over making sure that the elf could hear him clearly.

"Why yes you can. I would like you to bring us some beverages please. It's a tad warm out today."

Ellie nodded and gave her new Masters and Mistress a huge smile.

"Yes sir. Ellie will bring them momentarily."

She squeaked before she disappeared with a loud pop.

Turning his attention back to the table, he waved a hand in the air as a slow smirk spread over his lips.

"So…Now that we're all here and settled, why don't we go over some house rules that we think should be applied in this situation, shall we?"

Hermione felt a bit of nervous energy bunch deep in her stomach as Draco pulled out his wand and muttered a spell that made a piece of parchment and a quill appear.

"Alright so, since we're going to be living in close company from now on I suggest we have a personal space rule so that if one of us, aka you Hermione feel like we're bothering her too much you have the right to escape to wherever you like as long as you return back to the manor no later than midnight every night."

Draco drawled as they looked over at Hermione for her reaction.

She nodded and leaned forward onto the table.

"I think we should also make a rule that no matter who our friends or families are we need to treat everyone with respect, and let go of past grudges."

Blaise sighed an overly dramatic sigh as he leaned back in his chair so it only stood balanced on the back legs.

"I guess that means we'll be seeing a lot more of Potter and the Weasels whether we like it or not. I suppose I can act civil towards them but that's all your getting for now little witch."

He said as he shot her a fake glare.

Hermione shook her head before dropping it down onto her folded arms.

"Honestly…You lot are going to be the death of me. How on earth will I not end up hexing you all?"

The boys looked down at her as Draco momentarily stopped writing.

"I'd sure hope you wouldn't hex us. Because I'm making a side note on that rule that states if we are attacked and need to act in self-defense, we will not be punished."

Raising her head slowly she fixed him with a no nonsense stare.

"ONLY in self-defense. If I find out that any of you have drawn your wands on any unsuspecting persons, you will be sleeping in the garden shed until further notice."

Giving a shrug, Draco finished writing down the rule before he turned to Hermione with an unreadable expression.

"I would like to propose that it be a mandatory rule that we shall all sit down in the dining room each night and have family dinners together. I really would like to make this seem as if it's a normal marriage in some way or another."

Just as Theo, Blaise and Hermione were about to argue over the dinner rule, a loud pop made them all jump as Ellie waved a hand and levitated a tray full of summer time drinks down onto the table in front of them.

"If Master and the Mistress are not needing anything else, Ellie will be in the kitchen."

The little elf said before she disappeared once more.

"Oh, they have raspberry lemonade. That is most definitely one of my favorites."

Blaise murmured as he took one of the pink drinks and sipped it before grinning.

"Tastes just like I remember it."

The others took their various drinks as they all argued but mostly negotiated a firm set of house rules.

Just as they were getting into a good flow of mundane conversation, a white stag patronus appeared in front of them as Harry's voice sounded loud and clear.

"Hermione! We haven't heard from or seen you since you left for the Ministry this morning! Molly's practically in tears worrying. You need to come home now so that we all know you're okay. Oh, and Molly just told me that dinner is at 6:00 this evening. Now get your behind back her Mione before we all go nuts worrying if you've keeled over and died or not."

He said before the patronus dissipated into the air.

Theo slung his arm around Hermione's shoulders as she turned ghastly pale.

"Looks like the Weasels need you. Go on and head over there. I expect Mama Weasel is going to have a bloody fit. If you don't I expect they'll send a Howler next."

He said before he laid a small kiss on her temple.

Draco and Blaise shared a look before they too leaned forward and gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's alright, love. It's not like we're bloody going anywhere anytime soon. Just come back to us before midnight, okay?"

Draco said as she nodded quickly and gave them all a worried look.

"Thank you all for making this so easy for me. I do appreciate your efforts. I promise to be home on time as soon as I find an excuse as to why I'm not going to be staying at the Burrow tonight. Behave yourselves while I'm gone. And for the love of all things great and wonderful, don't burn down the entire estate. I really am starting to like it here."

She said as she apparated off to the Burrow.

Once she was gone, all three of the boys looked at each other before their eyes fell on the extravagant manor that sat high and mighty in front of them.

"Well that went better than expected. I would harbor a guess and say that she just might be warming up to us."

Blaise said as Draco and Theo nodded in agreement.

"Well lads, I propose a toast to our beautiful bride. May we all survive the next 100 years of our lives with our humor and every limb still attached to our bodies."

Draco drawled as they all raised their glass and clinked them together while the late afternoon sun began to sink below the horizon.


	5. Chapter 5

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 5

"HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER! How DARE you make us all SICK with worry! If your parents had been here I'm sure that would NOT approve! Harry, Ron and the Auror's were about to go searching for you! And secondly, you are LATE for dinner! But that is quite a lovely jumper you're wearing. Ooo and matching shoes as well. I had no idea you were so fashionable dear."

Molly Weasley screamed while taking the young witch into her arms and squeezing tightly.

When she finally pulled away she was wiping at her eyes with her apron and gave her a relieved smile.

"I'll just go tell the boys and Ginny that a search won't be needed. Now if you could just keep stirring this pot, love. Yes, just like that."

The stout woman directed before turning and heading up the stairs.

Hermione's face was scrunched up in a confused look while she absently stirred the pot of boiling tomato soup.

"What in Merlin's name just happened?"

She muttered to herself as the sound of heavy footsteps flying down the stairs reached her in the kitchen.

"HERMIONE! WHERE IN GODRIC'S NAME IS WERE YOU?! I WAS SO BLOODY WORRIED!"

Ginny screeched as she and the boys came barreling into the room.

Relief showed on all of their faces as she turned and placed the wooden spoon that she was holding down onto the counter.

"I'm sorry, I just lost track of time."

She said simply before rinsing her hands in the sink and taking a seat the dinner table.

"You lost track of TIME?! That's your bloody excuse?! We thought we were going to have to tear apart the entire place of Wizarding London searching for you!"

Ron growled as Harry placed a hand on his shoulder, restraining him from going near her.

Hermione's eyes widened at his tone and she backed away far enough so he couldn't reach her.

"I'm so sorry. I just lost track of time. Everything's fine Ron."

She said quietly making the boy turn even redder with anger.

"You're sorry?! Bloody fucking hell! You're mad! Don't expect me to ever come to your rescue again."

He sneered before Harry pushed him down into a seat at the table.

Ginny looked between the boys and Hermione before deciding that she could overlook the fact that Hermione had disappeared.

Taking the seat next to her best friend at the table, she gently pulled her into a hug as she sniffled lightly.

"There, there Mione. It's alright. You know he doesn't mean it. He was just really worried. You know you're the only one out of all of us that he would do anything for. He still loves you, he's just needs to calm back down."

Hermione nodded into Ginny's bright red hair and clung to her petite form for a moment before pulling away and looking up at Harry who'd yet to say anything.

He apparently had caught the look that Ginny was giving him because he just plopped down in the seat next to a fuming Ron and gave her a small smile.

"Ginny's right. We're just glad you're okay. No running off again, yeah?"

Hermione nodded and gave him a smile just because Arthur and Molly Weasley came into the kitchen effectively silencing them all.

"Alright children, time for dinner. We can discuss all this nonsense after we've all eaten."

Throughout dinner Hermione found herself deflecting questions from her family and friends as they asked about what had happened at the meeting.

She felt awful because she couldn't tell any of them what was going on until the day of the wedding.

She and her boys hadn't even really talked about the wedding at all making her nervous about what they had to say about it.

As soon as the plates were cleared from the table, the Weasley Inquisition began.

"So Hermione, tell us about how your meeting went today."

Arthur said as he sipped his after dinner tea.

All eyes were on her as she felt herself blush.

"Well, it was a private and very sensitive matter that all parties have agreed to not talk about it."

She said as she her leg started bouncing beneath the table.

"A private matter? What sensitive matter could possibly pertain to you when it comes to the Death Eaters?"

Molly questioned as she sent down her own mug of tea and fixed her with a look that clearly said she didn't buy it.

"Who was at the meeting Mione? Perhaps I could look into it at the office tomorrow morning."

Ron said as he gave her a reassuring smile.

She shook her head and took a long swing of her tea which she really wished was a fire whiskey at that exact moment.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that. And I would really like it if you all wouldn't get involved. It's being dealt with as we speak. There's no need to worry."

Arthur and Molly exchanged a look before they laid down the law.

"Hermione if it involves Death Eaters then we need to know. This is not up for discussion. Your safety may be at risk and I'd like the Order to check it out and see what's going on."

Arthur said as Molly nodded in agreement.

That was when Hermione had enough.

Her mug of tea dropped onto the table and shattered everywhere as she stood up and glared at her family.

"No Arthur. You're right. This is definitely not up for discussion because I'm leaving. I'll send for my things later when I get settled. And let me be clear. NO ONE is going to order me around whether it's you or anyone else at this table. I have a right to keep secrets and you will NOT get in the middle of it."

She yelled shrilly making everyone's eyes bug out of their heads.

"But Hermione-"

"No! Save it for your own children Molly because they need it more. Harry, Ron and Ginny I'll talk to you soon. Goodnight."

She said firmly before she apparated out of the Burrow and back home to her new Manor.

Landing on the plush carpet on her living room floor she curled herself up into a ball and cried into her knees as the realization of what just happened hit her.

She had gone against Arthur and Molly's words which meant she couldn't return to the Burrow.

She was sure that Harry, Ginny and Ron were all incredibly confused but there was nothing she could do about it at the moment.

A rustle was heard from the other side of the room and she sniffled as she tried to see through the darkness.

Footsteps sounded as they approached her before she was bathed in the bright light of a table lamp.

"Hermione? Love what's wrong?"

She vaguely heard Draco say as he and her other boys dropped down onto the ground beside her.

"It's all gone. I can't go back now. I deserve to never go back."

She cried as she rocked back and forth making Draco, Theo and Blaise exchange a look.

"Something really did happen back at the Weasel residence didn't it?"

Blaise said gently as he rubbed small soothing circles on her back.

Her cries turned into sobs as she remembered the expression on Molly's face when she heard what Hermione had said.

There was no going back now.

She was truly on her own for the first time in her life.

It had now become her and her fiancée's against the world.

Theo gently pulled her into his arms and shushed her quietly while Draco and Blaise snuggled in beside her.

"It's okay little witch. You're safe with us now. You were never meant to stay there forever. This is all the fate's way of saying that you belong here with us. We promise we'll take good care of you and give you anything your heart may desire. You will no longer have to rely on the Weasels or anyone else. We're in this together and we love you no matter what."

Hermione felt a whole new onslaught of tears burst out of her eyes and down onto her cheeks as she buried her head in Theo's neck as he held her close.

Rising up onto his feet, he carried her over to the large bed and put her underneath the covers while Draco and Blaise took off her shoes.

All of her boys climbed up into bed surrounding her as her eyes began to feel heavy with sleep.

"Don't worry love. We'll watch over you as you sleep. No more harm will come to you tonight."

Draco whispered in her ear as Theo laid against her chest and Blaise nuzzled his nose into her neck making her let out an airy laugh.

"Goodnight sweetheart. Sleep well. We'll be right here when you wake in the morning."

She heard Theo say before sleep came and took her away to the magical world of dreams and stars.


	6. Chapter 6

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 6

When Hermione woke up the next day, the curtains in her bedroom had been tied back and the sunlight streamed in down onto her bed making her squint tiredly.

Rubbing a hand over her face, she saw that she had been changed into a large t shirt and her knickers and she blushed hard when she remembered the events of last night.

She had fallen asleep with the boys but when she looked around there was no one to be found in her room.

Smiling to herself, she grabbed her hair tie from the bedside table and pulled her hair into a bun before throwing back the covers and searching her closet for a robe.

Pulling on a shimmery pink satin robe, she made her way out into her living room where she was surprised to see Blaise sitting in one of the arm chairs reading the paper.

He looked up when he heard her approach and gave her a breathtaking smile that she knew was only meant for her.

"Good morning, love. How are you feeling?" He asked as she took a seat in the chair next to him.

"Oh I'm fine I guess. Still really tired from last night though." She said as she crossed her legs and gave him a small smile.

"I wouldn't expect anything less. After last night, we were all wondering if you'd even get out of bed at all. You've got to be bloody exhausted from all that happened." He said as he folded the paper and placed it on the coffee table.

Shaking her head she leaned back and took on a more relaxed position.

Even though she hadn't spent any time with Blaise before they were engaged she felt an odd sense of peace and was fully relaxed in his presence.

It was a nice feeling after years of tension and stress.

"I feel better than I did when I came home." She said as he nodded and leaned closer to her.

"Good. The others and I were thinking that we could take you down to Hogsmeade and spoil you rotten. What do you say little witch?" He said as he gave her a mischievous grin.

Hermione laughed and leaned close enough that she could feel his hot breath fan across her face.

"I would be honored. Speaking of Draco and Theodore, where are they?" She asked as he leaned forward and nuzzled her nose with his own causing her to go into a giggle fit.

"They had to go down to Gringott's and finalize the paper work. Apparently it also had to be notarized with Goblin approval. Something about our assets now being shared between all of us." He said as he waved a hand dismissively.

Hermione nodded knowing that there was going to be a lot of things that they were going to have to sort out as their relationship became more permanent.

"Well, little witch I think I shall let you put yourself together in that lovely way that you always do. I'll send a patronus to Drake and Theo and let them know to meet us there. Oh and do wear something gorgeous. I want to show you off to the world as soon as possible."

He said with a wink before retrieving his paper and giving her a bow before leaving the room.

She could feel herself blushing from his words.

The three Slytherin's who haunted her dreams when she was in school now thought of her as their prized possession and actually wanted to be seen with her.

Knowing that the other girls in the Wizarding World would be green with envy made her smirk as she padded over to her closet and flipped through the racks until she pulled out a green deep v backless skater dress.

Skipping into the bathroom she got dressed, reapplied her makeup and let her hair down so it fell off her shoulders.

Grabbing a green sparkly clutch, she charmed her wand so it fit inside and grabbed a coin pouch with several hundred gallons in it before slipping on a pair of nude wedged heels and racing from the room.

This whole engagement to her Slytherin's had given her a second chance to reinvent herself into the witch that she always wanted to be.

No more tired, and pitiful Hermione.

This time would be different.

As she descended the stairs and found Blaise waiting in the receiving room, she grinned happily when he looked her up and down with a look of want and approval.

Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her flush up against him and leaned down giving her a soft peck on the lips before pulling back and looking down at her with a love struck expression.

"You look amazing, darling. I can't wait until we can get you a bloody ring to go with those exquisite outfits that you own. I suppose while we're in Hogsmeade we should stop by the jeweler's and pick you out one." He drawled as her face lit up like it was Christmas.

"You really mean it? It isn't too soon?" She asked but was shushed when Blaise pressed a searing, heart stopping kiss to her lips effectively leaving the know it all witch silent for the first time in her life.

When he finally pulled back she was breathless and flushed as he steadied her in his arms before brushing his thumb over her cheek.

"Of course I mean it. We're engaged aren't we? We should've picked out a ring ages ago. Really it was our fault for not thinking of it. Please forgive us. We have been too busy for our own good." He said as he gave her a sheepish look.

Hermione smirked and gave his shoulder a push making him scowl down at her.

"It's alright. I'm sure you all will want to pick out the biggest and brightest diamond ring in the entire shop in honor of our new union and I'm going to just have to sit back and let you." She drawled before giving him a wink and taking his hands.

Blaise's eyes twinkled as he looked down at his fiancé with adoration shining within his green orbs.

"But of course. We can't have you slumming it now that you've become the richest witch in the entire Wizarding World. Only the best will be on your finger, my love." He said before he grabbed her tight and apparated them off to Hogsmeade.

When they landed, he caught her around the waist and steadied her for a moment until she found her balance.

"I hate side along…" She muttered as he laughed and took her hand giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Well get used to it, princess. All of us will be going with you whenever you leave the house from now on. There will be no repeat of last night." He said in all seriousness making Hermione look up at him in surprise.

Giving him a scowl, she tugged on his hand as they walked through the cobblestone streets.

"That won't be necessary. I am perfectly capable of traveling by myself." She said with a humph making him stop suddenly and take her into his arms.

"It is absolutely necessary. I refuse to have my soon to be wife come home in tears every night. And don't try lying, Hermione because I know that this has been the truth for you for quite some time." He said as he clutched her hard making her eyes fall to ground for a moment before she steeled herself and met his.

"You're right. It has been the truth of my existence for a long time. Ever since the war in fact. I know that you want to protect me but you can't protect me from the world, Blaise. I think I've shown throughout the years that I can handle myself when necessary." She said as tears began to form in her eyes.

Blaise shook his head and pressed his forehead against hers with a look that she could only describe as compassion.

"I know. We all have seen you fight against things that no one ever should. We've all suffered greatly from the war but you have to understand, Hermione. We were death eaters for a reason. We had a need to protect our family even if it meant giving the ultimate sacrifice. You need to know that we consider you our family now and that vow still stands. Nothing will ever touch a hair on your pretty head ever again or so help me Merlin I will reign terror on the entire World." He whispered before peppering her face with small kisses as he kissed away any evidence of her sadness.

Hermione found herself beginning to smile as she wrapped her arms around her fiancé's neck and pulled him as close as possible.

She didn't even care when several witches and wizards stopped and stared wide eyed at the sight of the two embracing for the first time in public.

Blaise continued to caress her for a few moments before he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and snarled at the bystanders that were oogling them.

"Nothing to see here. Mind your bloody business." He growled before her quickly led her down the street and out into the beautiful sunshine.

Hermione sighed in relief realizing that maybe he was right.

She had found herself the center of a lot of unwanted attention since her heroic part in the war and danger was a constant thing that overshadowed her life.

Perhaps she could learn to let go knowing that her fiancé's would not have it any other way.

As soon as they reached the steps of Gringott's her face split into a grin as Draco and Theo approached them with regal smiles.

Both bowed to her as Blaise placed her hand into Draco's.

"You look utterly delectable, my love." Draco drawled as he pulled her close and placed a kiss on her forehead.

Theo walked around behind her and placed his hands low on her waist before brushing them lightly over the swells of her bum making her let out a little yelp of surprise.

"We're getting more of these dresses. One in every color." He demanded as she turned and quickly pecked him on the lips.

"They are quite lovely aren't they?" She said as all of them nodded in agreement.

"Time to go shop till we drop. Draco, lead the way."

Blaise called as Draco leaned in and stole a quick kiss from her before swaggering down the street to the dress shop with Hermione and the others in tow.

Hermione found herself enjoying her boys as they made a spectacle of their relationship for all to see.

For once, she couldn't help but think; this was the type of attention she had always longed for but never thought she could have.

Wrapping her fingers around Blaise's hand she squeezed it gently making him look down at her as a look passed between them keeping their special moment in the alley alone a secret.


	7. Chapter 7

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 7

"Good Godric, this is a lot of clothes." Hermione said with a smile as Draco shrunk yet another shopping bag with her most recent purchases smaller so it would fit in her pocketbook.

"Only the best for you, darling." Blaise said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Hermione blushed a deep crimson as the shop keeper smiled knowingly at them.

Draco leaned up against the wall waiting for Blaise and Hermione to leave the shop.

He had noticed the more intimate interactions that they were sharing and frankly it made him a tad jealous.

He knew that he was supposed to share Hermione between the three of them, but it still felt odd seeing her give affection to Blaise and Theo.

His eyes narrowed when Hermione stood up on her tip toes and placed a kiss on Blaise's lips.

It made his blood boil.

Little did any of them know that he had been crushing in the curly haired witch since he had first saw her on the steps of Hogwarts in first year.

His love had grown for her over the years and coursed vibrantly through his veins.

Seeing her with another man irked him in more ways than he'd like to admit.

Deciding that Blaise had spent enough time with the apple of his eye, he stood straight and tall before striding over to his little witch and taking her into his arms.

"Oh! Hello Draco." She breathed making him smirk in triumph.

He glanced over at Blaise and found that the Italian wizard was looking more than a little put out in that moment.

Turning to his bride, he gave her his trademark Malfoy smile and gestured to the door leading out of the shop.

"How would you like to get some ice cream before we head home, love?" He drawled making Blaise quirk an eyebrow at him and Hermione look surprised.

"I would love to! I haven't had the ice cream here in ages." She said with a smile as Blaise grimaced but quickly schooled his features into a neutral expression.

"Perhaps we will find our Theo wandering about on the way. He said that he would be finished making dinner plans at the manor by now." Draco said as he placed her hand in the crook of his arm and glanced back at Blaise with an apologetic look.

Mouthing sorry to his friend, they made their way out into early evening sunset.

The streets were still filled with shoppers who were going about their business and the sun had begun to set.

Brilliant red and pink streaks lit up the horizon as Hermione squeezed Draco's arm and took Blaise's hand.

Hermione noticed that both Blaise and Draco seemed a bit tense with each other tonight and she wondered what had started it.

She had seen the way that they had looked at each other in the shop and realized that maybe they weren't getting along as well as she thought.

As they stepped inside Ivana's Ice Cream Parlor, she hoped that maybe with some yummy ice cream they'd calm down.

"Ooh! Look they have blue candy floss flavored ice cream! "She said with a wide grin as she turned to look back at Draco and Blaise.

"And they have orange sherbet." Blaise said excitedly as he leaned up against the glass.

"That always was your favorite, wasn't it?" Draco drawled as he waved his hand making the small assistance bell ring.

"It's better than just plain vanilla. I never understood why you've always got to be so plain." Blaise said as Draco scowled at him.

"Malfoy's are never plain. We are majestic creatures wherever we go. Just for that I think I'll have rainbow sprinkles on top of my delicious vanilla ice cream." He muttered as he watched the employee magically scoop up Hermione's ice cream.

Both he and Blaise joined Hermione at the counter and ordered their ice cream while still bickering over how vanilla was definitely not plain.

Hermione smiled at her boy's as she listened to them bicker back and forth.

Taking a long lick of her ice cream cone she was relieved to see that they were getting along much better now just like she had expected.

Once they all had their ice crema, they all took a seat at one of the round tables and discussed what they had purchased that day.

Blaise and Draco had bought matching black dragon hide jackets along with matching black shoes while Hermione had bought a whole new wardrobe full of dresses, heels and purses in a variety of color shades.

She had even outsmarted her boys and ended up paying for everything with her Goblin charge card that held all of her reward money from the war.

If Draco and Blaise had noticed, they hadn't said a word about it.

They all were too busy enjoying each other's company to really notice anything else.

Little did they know that a family of redheads, plus one boy who lived; were secretly following them all day.

Molly pressed herself up against the glass of the ice cream parlor's window while Arthur and George worked on trying to find a counter spell that would reverse the invisibility spell that Arthur had cast on all of them.

"Aren't they adorable, Ginerva?" Molly sighed as Ginny nodded and eyed Hermione's shopping bags.

Arthur had gone straight to Kingsley at the ministry and demanded information about the mysterious situation that had happened yesterday.

Kingsley made an exception on the rules of the engagement and explained everything to them.

The Weasley's and Harry were relieved to find out that Hermione wasn't in any danger and they were ecstatic to find out that she was getting married.

Molly had immediately sent Harry and Ron to pack up Hermione's things at the Burrow and take them over to the new manor as a surprise for her when she got home.

She, Arthur, Ginny and George had flooed over to the manor and shocked the hell out of Theo who was in the kitchen discussing the dinner options with the house elves.

Molly had insisted that they all celebrate at the manor that night with a pre wedding party.

Theo had made arrangements for the dinner and decorations along with getting help from Ginny and Molly about providing extra seating and activities out in the back yard.

After everything was ready, Molly told everyone that they were going to go find Hermione and the boys and surprise them while they were out shopping.

Theo, who was utterly terrified by the Weasley women; had given up his bride's location easily.

"That red, spaghetti strap maxi dress that Mione got today would be lovely for her to wear tonight at the party." Molly mused as Ginny nodded in agreement.

"Can we maybe focus on how the bloody hell we're going to tell Mione that we know she's shacking up with the Slytherin's and let her know that we've been bloody stalking her all day?" Ron groaned as Molly and Ginny both shot him an identical glare.

Harry still held his mug of ice cold coffee from that morning's breakfast and gingerly took little sips to avoid being pulled into the confrontation.

"We've almost got it, eh Georgie boy?" Arthur said as George smirked and nodded.

"Oh yeah, dad. We'll get it by at least tomorrow evening." He joked making Harry and Ron exchanged a look.

"She's going to murder us." Ron muttered as Harry nodded slowly before taking another sip of his coffee. "Kiss your Weasley ass goodbye mate."

Hermione sat listening to Draco and Blaise's tales of their time at Hogwart's but had a nagging feeling that something wasn't right.

She was going crazy thinking that something had been following them all day and that now it had found them.

Suddenly the door to the ice cream parlor burst open and the sound of a familiar voice shouted "I got it!"

There landing in a pile on the floor was the entire Weasley clan plus one disheveled Harry who was glaring at a broken mug like it had personally wronged him.

"Hermione dear! I can't believe you're getting married!" Molly said as she ran into Hermione's arms and started to bawl into her shoulder.

"We're really sorry about everything, Hermione. Kingsley told us everything. We just wanted to make sure you were safe is all." Arthur said as he gave her an awkward smile.

"So, you're marrying the snakes, eh?" George said as he waggled his eyebrows at her.

Hermione, Draco and Blaise all gave him a matching eye roll before looking over at Ron and Harry who were bickering about coffee for some reason.

"That mug was worthless, Ron! How the bloody hell am I going to drink coffee at your house if there's no more mugs to put it in?!" Harry grumbled as Ron crossed his arms over his chest and let out an annoyed huff.

"That was my bloody World Cup mug, Harry. Next time the World Cup comes around, you're buying me at least twenty more of those." Ron said as Harry rolled his eyes before they both looked over at Hermione, Draco and Blaise who were now all being embraced in an awkward hug with Arthur and Molly.

"Hermione Jean Granger! How DARE you not tell me that you got engaged!" Ginny shrieked as Draco tried and failed at pulling both Hermione and Blaise out of the hug.

"Ginny I didn't even know I was getting engaged until yesterday!" Hermione shrieked back making the boys wince at their high pitched tone.

"Oh it's alright, Hermione. No worries, dear. We're going to have an impromptu engagement party this evening back at your new manor. We've got everything prepared for you. Now let's get moving so we can start dinner. I'm starving." Molly said as she and Arthur pulled away making her sigh in relief.

A chorus's of me too sounded all around the room as Hermione chuckled and shook her head before taking Blaise and Draco's hands in her own.

The cat was out of the bag and she couldn't be happier.


	8. Chapter 8

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 8

Sounds of laughter filled the warm evening air as Hermione and the boys enjoyed the party that Molly had thrown for them.

Hermione and Theo sat out on the grass by the little pond in the back of their property talking about anything and everything while waving around sparklers.

Theo's eyes swept over her figure and a smile graced his lips at the sight of her beautiful red maxi dress that Molly and Ginny had insisted that she wear for them tonight.

He had tuned out of their conversation and was just sitting there watching her.

The usually brooding wizard wanted to memorize every aspect of her body so he could cherish it for the rest of their lives.

Knowing that she had gotten all dolled up for him and the other boys made his heart sing with happiness and a slight touch of lust as he thought about their upcoming wedding day and how he would react to seeing her at the altar.

His cold brown eyes had turned bright and cheerful ever since she had agreed to marry them.

Never in his life had he ever felt something so, magical as the love of the woman he was meant to marry.

And he knew he was meant to marry her.

There was no doubt in his mind that there was some reason that was bigger than just this wedding contract that had brought all of them together.

As he watched the way her light caramel eyes danced with laughter in the twinkling glow of their sparklers, he knew that his life would never be the same.

For years he had been taught hate by Lord Voldemort and it was only recently that he had set aside his differences in the Wizarding World.

Draco and Blaise had an easier time changing their way than him because they hadn't been caught in the thick of the battles like he had.

He had seen so many things and had looked death in the face more times than he could count that he had begun to fear that his heart would remain cold and callous to the outside world.

But that all changed when he was with Hermione.

The way the fireflies light up the pond and how the frogs croaked at the sight of the beautiful witch made him lust for her in so many ways.

His fingers pulled at the grass beneath them as he wiggled his toes between the green strands.

Their shoes had been discarded hours ago along with his dinner jacket and his tie that he had worn for the occasion.

There was just something about Hermione that made him want to forget all the boring formalities of the life he had led.

Instead he wanted to embrace the warm, comforting aura that she brought to him whenever they were together making him crave her touch.

He blushed when he realized that he had been caught staring sending his witch into a fit of giggles.

"Are you alright, Theo? You look a bit flushed."

Hermione teased as her warm gaze met his own.

She had known that he had been staring at her lost in thought for quite some time now and she couldn't deny the feeling of warmth that pooled deep in her belly from his unwavering gaze.

Theo was different than her other fiancée's.

He was more set in his ways but whenever the others weren't looking he would come alive just for her.

His dark brown, almost charcoal colored eyes sparkled with mischief whenever he looked at her making her believe that he wasn't as cold as he always had been.

She had seen how he had treated the other students at Hogwarts, including herself with such terror and anger.

But this Theo, her Theo; was all that she saw now.

He was soft spoken and always polite.

The way his coffee colored hair fell over his eyes made her long for him.

And when they touched, Merlin…She could see the sparks fly between them.

Theo's touch was different than the others as well.

He touched her almost as if he was afraid he would break her.

His calloused hands smoothed over her lower back as she leaned into his tall build.

"I'm fine, Mione." He whispered as he pulled her close and playfully touched the tip of his sparkler to her own.

"You looked like you were deep in thought a moment ago. I thought maybe something was wrong." She murmured as he continued to rub the sensitive skin just above her bum.

"No, love. Nothing's wrong. Quite the opposite really. Everything's so right that I just can't believe it. Life has changed so much for us in these past two days and I'm just taking it all in." He said as he nuzzled her temple and placed a kiss just below her right left eye.

Hermione let out a small gasp at his feather light touch and turned to capture his lips with her own.

The second that their lips molded together was the moment that she knew what heaven felt like.

Here, among the fireflies and dark night; was where she belonged.

She belonged to him.

All of her, for eternity.

She let out a whimper when he pulled back and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Do you believe in fate, Hermione?" He asked as he turned her towards him in his arms.

Hermione was taken aback by his question and her eyes flitted upwards towards the stars and the glittering constellations that were painted in the night sky above them.

Did she believe in fate?

One look into his eyes made her realize, yes.

She did.

"I think I do." She murmured as a slow lopsided grin took over his features.

"I didn't used to before all this but sitting here with you now I do." He said as he too brought his eyes up towards the galaxy of the heavens.

Hermione blushed at his words and hid her face in the crook of his neck making him chuckle with quiet laughter.

"No. Don't hide from me, love. I don't think I could stand it if I couldn't see your beautiful face every second that I'm alive." He whispered as his hands caressed down her back and over the swell of her bum.

Hermione gasped and let out a mewl of pleasure as shockwaves of powerful magic coursed through her veins.

She knew he could feel it too as he jumped slightly when the shocks of electric magic shot out from his hands.

"The magic of destiny often times has a lot to do with wishes, Hermione." He said as she gazed into the depths of his eyes.

"Dreams and wants, start out as wishes. And sometimes, if you're lucky; those wishes spark something within us that brings the magic of destiny into people's lives." He whispered as he pulled her as close as possible.

He pulled away just for a moment and held his the tip of his sparkler against her own.

"Make a wish, Hermione." He whispered as she smiled and closed her eyes.

"One…Two…Three." He counted as she quickly opened her eyes and they both blew out their sparklers together, each making the wish that their destinies would be forever entwined until time was no more.


	9. Chapter 9

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 9

Hermione opened her eyes and scrunched up her nose when she felt cold little water droplets falling from above her.

Thunder crashed across the sky making her and Theo jump and look around them.

"Oh Merlin, Theo! We fell asleep out on the lawn last night!" Hermione cried over the thunder and light rain.

Theo scratched his head and then shook himself out of his sleepiness.

"Guess we better get inside then, yeah?" He said as he helped her off of the ground and grabbed her hand as they raised towards the sliding glass doors of the living room.

Rain poured from overhead and they were drenched from head to toe once they finally got inside.

There was one lone light that was shining throughout the living room and they started to shiver from the cold breeze that wafted throughout the Manor.

Theo took one look down at his bride to be and noticed that she was growing paler by the second.

"Come on, love. We need to get you out of these clothes and into a warm bath before you catch your death. I'm sure Drake and Blaise are going to murder me for having you out so late." He said quietly as he cast a wandless heating charm over her instantly making her stop shaking.

Taking her hand in his, he led her quickly up the stairs and onto the second floor where it was unusually quiet for a morning in their home.

Hermione wondered if the Weasley's and Harry had gone home after the party last night or if they were sleeping in these very rooms.

Theo caught her eye and seemed to know exactly what she was thinking.

Giving a non-committal shrug, they padded down the hallway leaving wet, muddy foot prints all the way to Hermione's room.

When they opened the door they were surprised to see that Draco and Blaise were already awake enjoying cups of tea while reading the newspaper.

Both looked up as the two lover's entered the room with sheepish expressions.

Draco and Blaise shared a look before grins took over their features.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't our little rainy day partners in crime. I see you've had a good sleep outside last night."

Draco drawled as Hermione leaned close to Theo.

She had started shivering again making the jesting stop and all of the men's trained eyes sweep over her wet figure.

Blaise folded his newspaper and got up from his arm chair.

Making his way over to her, he threw a pointed look at Theo.

"Darling you're freezing. It's time for a hot bath. It seems Theo didn't have the mind to perform a warming spell on you, you poor thing." He said as Theo started to shiver himself from the cold.

"He…did…I'm…just…cold…" Hermione chattered as Blaise rushed her into the bathroom and started stripping her naked.

Draco and Theo could be heard speaking to one another outside in the sitting area but Hermione paid no mind as her shivers got worse.

Blaise felt her forehead with the back of his hand and frowned.

"You feel slightly warm, love. I think you'll be spending the rest of the day in bed after your bath." He said making no room for arguments.

The water magically filled the tub and the steam that swirled around her made her feel only slightly better.

After a few moments, Blaise lifted her into the tub and sat her down amongst the bubbles and warm water.

"There. You should be feeling a bit better now. I'm going to go make sure Theo is taking a warm bath as well. You just stay put, sweetheart." He said gently as Hermione leaned her head back and sank down deeper into the water.

Her frigid bones warmed almost immediately but there was still a slight lingering chill that struck her to the core.

Suddenly she let out a giant sneeze making Blaise sigh in the other room.

"She's caught a cold I think. Both of them are going to need to stay in bed for the rest of the day. Theo's feeling as bad as she is. If they get any worse, I'm putting in a floo call to my family's healer. They will most likely need to be looked at." Blaise said as Draco nodded in agreement.

"Honestly. Couldn't they have just fallen asleep on the sofa or something INSIDE the house instead of out in a bloody rainstorm?" The concerned blonde quipped as Blaise shook his head.

"Leave it to Theodore to go for the big romantics no matter what the situation." The Italian wizard said as he made his way back into the bathroom where Hermione had fallen asleep with her head resting on the back of the tub.

"Oh, love. What are we going to do with you?" He murmured quietly as he washed her clean and then proceeded to dry her and get her ready for bed.

Once he had her dressed in warm pajamas, he laid her down gently in her bed and tucked her in tight before placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Theo's asleep as well." Draco reported as he came stalking into the room.

"Good. Both will need their rest. You and I have something very important to take care of. We'll stop by the kitchen on our way out and let them know to keep an eye on these two." Blaise said as Draco suddenly remembered what he meant.

"Oh, right. I forgot about that. Guess we do need to go pick out a ring seeing as how we're engaged and everything. What do you suppose she would like?" He asked as they went downstairs and grabbed their cloaks before making their way to the kitchen.

After speaking with the house elves, Blaise turned and shrugged.

"I don't know. I think she's not too fond of diamonds so we'll have to think out of the box. Now come on. I made an appointment at the jewelers for 11:00 and we're going to be late if we just sit here chitchatting all day."

He said as they headed to the kitchen's fire place and flooed over to the wizard jewelry store in Diagon Alley.

After a few moments they stepped inside the warm dining area of The Leaky Cauldron.

The bartender nodded hello at them as they gave a wave and made their way through the raging crowd that was there having breakfast and drinks.

Blaise spotted Daphne and her sister Astoria sitting with Pansy Parkinson at a table in the back corner and hurriedly he and Draco along.

The three girls had been dating the three boys since the end of last school year and they hadn't taken kindly to the idea of their boyfriends suddenly disappearing into thin air.

Blaise knew that he, Draco and Theo would need to tell them eventually what had happened but he prayed that it wouldn't come to that anytime soon.

Making their way down the cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley, they melded into the crowds of witches and wizards off of work and school for the last few days of their summer vacation.

It had been awhile since either of them had seen any of their Slytherin classmates and were weary of them knowing that they may not take kindly to their now impending marriage to Harry Potter's best friend.

A lot of the prejudices of the war had vanished into thin air just like Voldemort, but still there were some who held onto the traditions of the dark ages.

But as the boys opened the door and stepped inside of the Wizarding World's finest of jewelry stores, a lighter, giddy atmosphere surrounded them.

This was it.

They were going to pick out an engagement ring for Hermione and they knew they had to get it right.

Mr. Harper the jeweler stepped up to greet them.

"Mr. Zabini and Mr. Malfoy! I haven't seen you two here in an awfully long time. I hope that you two have been well." He said cheerfully as Blaise and Draco both nodded arrogantly to him.

"Are you willing to take a vow to keep what we are about to tell you a secret?" Blaise said as Mr. Harper's eyes widened knowing now that they weren't just here for casual conversation.

"Of course! It would be my pleasure to keep your secrets, gentleman." He said kindly as he held out his hand and Draco performed an Unbreakable Vow on him and Blaise.

Once the vow was finished, he led the boys over to the counters of jewels and turned to them with a questioning look.

"Alright gentlemen. What can I assist you with today?" He said as he smiled up at them.

"We're here to buy an engagement ring for our fiancé." Draco said as the shopkeeper's eyes widened once again.

"An engagement ring you say? For your fiancé? May I assume that you are both marrying the same witch?" He asked with curiosity.

Blaise nodded and gestured to the rings that were in the cases below.

"You are control, sir. Now please, show us your finest wares." He said in a soft yet demanding tone.

Mr. Harper nodded and took several velvet ring holders out of the case and laid them out onto the counter in front of them.

"Now since I assume I am not allowed to ask who your fiancé is, do either of you know what she may like to have as a gemstone." He asked as Blaise and Draco exchanged a nervous glance.

Draco shook his head and Mr. Harper's eyes sparkled knowingly.

It was not the first time that wizard's had come into his shop wanting his opinion and expertise about a ring for their unsuspecting witch.

"Well then, why don't we start over here? In this case we have all of the more expensive gemstones such as emeralds, sapphires, topaz's, rubies, aquamarines, amethysts and of course diamonds. In this case to your left is all of the more inexpensive stones such as opals, pearls, lapis lazuli, citrines, and moonstones and so on and so forth. Each stone has different magic infused in it. Some are for protection, others are for fertility. I think you'll find a wide variety."

He said as Blaise and Draco conjured up arm chairs and began sifting through the rings.

Blaise took out a round cut ruby ring with a soft white gold band and held it up to the light.

"Ah, that one is a passion ruby, my dear boy. It helps keep your romance alive as the years go on." The shopkeeper said as Blaise showed it to Draco who shook his head.

"It's not the right one." The blonde wizard said as he took out another ring.

This one was a teal topaz that had magic swirling within its blue center.

Blaise quirked an eyebrow at it and looked up at Mr. Harper who regarded him with a smile.

"That color of topaz is very, very rare both here and in the muggle world. It is said that it will bring openness and honesty into your relationship with your spouses."

Shaking his head, Draco put the ring back in its case.

The two spent an entire two hours sifting through the rings until one caught both of their eyes.

Draco cradled the magnificent ring in the palm of his head and marveled at the strong magic coming from within its center.

"Ah, that is a good choice gentlemen. That ring is a radiant yellow diamond. It is 5.66 carats of yellow diamond and accented with .85 carat of white diamonds. It's a lovely choice and its magic will surely be perfect for your witch." Mr. Harper said as Blaise and Draco looked up at him with curious gazes.

"What's the magic that's inside, sir?" Draco asked as Mr. Harper smiled brightly and gave them a serious look.

"It's eternal magic. It is said that throughout the life of the wearer that they will be magically tied to their spouse's soul until the end of time. It will bring strength to your bond and may even bring about a few surprises for you all. Am I correct in saying that this is the ring of your choosing?"

Draco and Blaise took deep breaths before smiling and nodding.

This was the one.

They could already fell its magic calling out to their own.

As he and Blaise paid for the ring and got it wrapped up, Draco made a mental note to tell Theo that when he picked out their wedding rings to make sure that there was yellow diamonds incorporated somewhere on each of their rings.

The feeling of their love being made eternal and having them all tied to each other until the end of time called to them in a way that nothing ever had before.

It felt right.

It felt like home.

Their love would be forever eternal.


	10. Chapter 10

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 10

A/N: Hello all. I know it's been a while since I posted but I assure you this story is going to continue. I have to make you aware though that I am a bit unwell today and am not my usual self so if the next few chapters are crap, I apologize and will probably re write them at a later date when I'm not feeling so terrible. I felt like Hermione and her boys wanted to come and play though so here they are. If nothing else, perhaps you can get your somewhat partial smut fix with this chapter. –MoonlitShadow

Hermione's eyes fluttered open as the late afternoon sun sparkled through her bedroom windows.

She was confused as she felt around and found that she was lying in bed in the middle of the afternoon until she remembered everything from that morning.

She giggled at the memory of Blaise and Draco's faces when they found out that she and Theo had fallen asleep outside in the middle of a rain storm.

Her head still hurt slightly and her nose was a bit stuffy but other than that she was feeling much better than she was when she had fallen asleep in the tub.

Sitting up carefully she yawned and looked around the room finding that it was deserted except for Blaise's newspaper that was still folded on top of the chair that he was sitting in earlier.

She wondered where her fiancée's had gone off to but suddenly remembered that Theo must still be around.

She remembered hearing the boys talking about how he had fallen asleep in his room and she realized in that moment that she didn't have a clue where his room even was.

She then came to another realization.

She had never been inside any of the boy's private rooms.

They had always come to her room instead leaving a big mystery about what they were like behind closed doors.

Curiosity had gotten the better of her as she carefully placed her feet on the floor and wrapped herself in a fuzzy robe before making her way out into the darkened hallway.

Heading towards the other wing of the house, she noticed that it was quiet which seemed to be rare in her new household.

Tilting her head to the side, she stopped at the top of the banister and listened.

She could faintly hear the sounds of the wind whistling through the house but other than that, there was no noise leaving her to believe that Blaise and Draco must've stepped out.

Shaking her head lightly, she had to remind herself that even though she was now engaged to the three Slytherin's; it didn't mean that she also had to keep track of their every move. In a way, she felt as if it was a sense of her still getting used to the fact that the war was over and she no longer needed to babysit the men she was with.

She smiled to herself at the thought of Ron and Harry and how they had managed to make it out of the war alive.

Keeping track of those two had not been an easy task and she couldn't even imagine what it must've been like for her three fiancé's friends to keep track of them during the war. Her smile faltered at the thought.

It had only been a couple of days since she had moved into the Manor with the boys and they had yet to discuss anything having to do with the war.

She wondered if when they did it would have any effect on their newly budding relationship.

It made her pause for a moment as she looked to either side of her and noticed several doors with each of her boy's names on them.

What had it been like for them?

And would they ever really be able to truly love one another when they had been enemies for so long?

The thought lingered for a moment as she stood outside the door that had Theo's name on it.

Was she doing the right thing?

Had she made a mistake?

Pushing her long brown hair off her shoulders, she forced the thoughts away as she quietly opened the door and tip toed into the room.

She was surprised when she noticed that it didn't look anything like she had expected it to.

The walls were a light sunshine yellow and a large wooden four poster bed stood next to the far wall.

There were windows all along the room that looked out over the garden and it was bright and very cheery.

A dresser stood on the wall opposite the bed and a desk with a leather chair behind it sat against the wall nearest the door.

It was smaller than her room she realized and she wondered if all of her boy's rooms looked similar or were each designed to suite their own tastes.

A small smile graced her lips when she heard light snores coming from the bed.

She wondered how much sleep Theo and the others had really gotten after all that had happened.

She doubted that they had gotten very much seeing as how they had been put through so much so quickly.

As she rounded on one side of the bed, she giggled lightly when she saw that Theo was spread out fully on the bed with his arms folded under his pillow and his legs tangled between the massive amounts of plush covers.

His dark chestnut hair stuck up in all directions and his mouth was open as he slept softly.

Carefully she slipped herself under the sheets and snuggled up to his tall figure.

She watched as his beautiful green eyes blinked open sleepily before widening to the size of saucers.

He let out a small yelp and pulled back before sitting up quickly.

"Mione! Love what are you doing here? I thought you had gone to bed."

His gravelly voice said as he looked at her as if he was trying to decide if she was real or just a dream.

Hermione's eyes scanned his naked torso and his boxers that hung low on his sculpted hips before nodding and holding out her arms invitingly.

"I was, but then I realized I was all alone and I decided that I wanted to come find you. It seems that the others have stepped out and left us all alone for the afternoon."

She said slyly as her voice took on a seductive tone.

Theo took a sharp breath as his cock began to rise beneath the fabric of his boxers.

His eyes scanned her scantily clad figure hungrily as he moved towards her with an almost predatory ease.

Licking his lips, he went into her open arms relishing in the feeling of his hardened chest meeting her large, perky bosom.

"Oh you did, did you? And did you find what you were looking for?"

He practically growled as he pressed his hardened length against her panty clad core.

Hermione let out a gasp and then a moan as she began to grind herself against him.

Her body moved on its own accord and she had no idea why she needed him so much.

A faint throb began to intensify between her legs and she found herself throwing her head back as divine pleasure washed over her.

"Yes…Oh Merlin, yes."

She whimpered as Theo let out a sound of approval.

He wasn't going to lie.

He loved the feeling of having their new fiancé all to himself.

Oh Merlin did he ever.

The way her breasts bounced in time with their movements made his mouth water and he had to remind himself that it would be a while before he got to finally taste them.

He didn't want to have to stop, but when he found that her small fingers were beginning to trail down towards the now open flap in the front of his boxers, he knew that he had to in fear of being hexed off of the face of the earth by both Draco and Blaise.

She had to remain pure.

They all had to until their wedding night.

He let out a groan when he thought of how long exactly he'd been having to remain pure but banished the thought immediately when he noticed the look on his new fiancé's flushed face.

She looked rushed if not a bit pained and he knew that at that moment she wasn't ready even if her body was screaming at her that she was.

Carefully but firmly he grasped her small hands in his own and held them before climbing off of her small frame.

Hermione's eyes flew open as she breathed heavily.

She looked up at him in confusion wondering why he had stopped when it had felt so good.

She watched as he shook his head and gave her a small smile before releasing her hands and placing a small kiss on her forehead.

"Not now, love. Soon, but not now."

He said simply making her heart and lower regions ache.

In that moment she became a bit flustered when she realized what almost had happened.

She had almost lost her virginity to Theo.

Her eyes widened as she ran her hands down her now sweaty and very red face.

"Oh fuck, Theo I'm so sorry."

She groaned as Theo quirked an eyebrow at her.

Peeking out from underneath her hands, she saw that he was laughing making her feel slightly embarrassed if not a bit put out.

"What? What are you laughing at?"

She demanded in a no nonsense tone telling him that Hermione Jean Granger the know it all had indeed returned.

"Sorry? What are you sorry for, love? If we weren't supposed to be waiting for our wedding night AND for the fact that Draco and Blaise would both kill me slowly and painfully if I had, I would've fucked you into next year."

He said as his eyes still glinted with a hint of lust.

Hermione's mouth opened and closed making her resemble a fish out of water.

Did he just say he would fuck her into next year?

"You what?"

She said half-heartedly as the fire that she normally had that spurred her whole being suddenly started to extinguish.

"I said I would fuck you into next year if I didn't need to keep you pure, my little vixen."

He purred as he moved quickly so he was on top of her and looking down into her now large, slightly fearful brown eyes.

Hermione didn't know what to say or what to do in that exact moment so she merely stared at him as his smirk grew even wider.

"I…"

She tried to come up with something of a retort but found that for once in her entire life she was speechless.

"Exactly."

He said simply as he quickly moved so he was off the bed and standing beside her.

"It's time to get ready for dinner. Draco and Blaise will be back soon."

He said in a matter of fact tone making her face contort into a confused expression.

Did he really just change the subject after THAT?

It seemed so seeing as how he was already on the other side of the room pulling out a clean t shirt and jeans before disappearing into the connecting en suite bathroom.

Shakily raising herself up into a sitting position, she wiped her hair off her soaked forehead and looked around the now empty room.

What had just happened?

She felt naked, vulnerable.

Almost fearful as she stumbled out of Theo's bed and hurriedly exited the room.

Running down the hall back to her side of the house, she didn't stop to think until she was in her bedroom with the door shut and locked.

Sliding down against the back of the door, she breathed heavily as she began to wonder.

Whatever happened to the good girl she used to be, and who was this new creation that had taken her place?


	11. Chapter 11

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 11

A/N: I feel like the last chapter came out a bit confusing and honestly I think it was. Even to me. But, apparently that was the way it wanted to come out so don't shoot the bloody messenger. I'm going to be bouncing back and forth between this story and I think Luminescent Nocturne for tonight so expect to see more coming. –MoonlitShadow

Hermione took her dinner in her room that night much to her boy's disappointment.

She needed time to think.

Time to figure out what exactly had happened when she was with Theo and how she felt about it as well the entire situation that had now arisen.

She had almost slept with Theo.

Without Draco and Blaise.

How were they feeling about her and Theo's little afternoon tryst?

How was Theo feeling about almost ridding her of the one thing that she truly had left of her own?

The whole thing was confusing and muddied by her feelings of lust and insecurities of being in a new environment.

Would she have given the precious gift of her virginity to Theo that afternoon if he hadn't stopped her?

Would she have said no?

Would she have been strong willed enough to say no?

She scoffed at the thought.

Of course she would have been.

She was Hermione Granger, the Smartest Witch of their Age.

She had enough wear withal to know what she was doing and make sense of everything.

Nothing had ever stumped her before. So why was she feeling so unsure now?

The deep feeling of regret seeped into every pore of her being as she sat at her window seat staring at a plate of cold, untouched food.

Exactly who was she now that she was going to be married?

Had she already lost who she once was?

Hermione didn't know the answer but just like every question or problem that needed solving, she was determined to find out.

Deciding that she had done enough sulking, she got to her feet and began to pace the length of the room.

In a fleeting thought she wondered how the boys were fairing down around the dinner table without her.

Were they noticing her absence, or was it like the old days when she wasn't there at all?

Pushing the thought aside, she made her way over to her massive wall to wall library of books and began pulling out ones that had information on The Sacred 28.

Perhaps if she knew more about who she was dealing with, she'd be able to figure out how she felt about them.

Dropping the huge heaps of books onto her bedroom floor, she sat amongst them and began turning through the pages eagerly.

There were pages upon pages of information about how the Sacred 28 came to be and why they were a force to be reckoned with in the Wizarding World.

Yet, she couldn't seem to find anything on their distinct laws that governed them.

She was curious about the marriage law that had bound her and her boy's together.

Why was it so important that she was the witch that needed to be chosen?

How did they even make such a decision?

What was the process of elimination that they had used to come to that conclusion?

So many thoughts ran through her mind and began to make her head pound with an impending headache but she ignored the pain and carried on.

Book after book she searched and to no avail.

There was nothing about the marriage law or anything that said that it even existed.

She was confused, distraught, a bit hurt.

The first two she could understand. But hurt?

Why did she feel pain?

Was it because she needed validation that it had been the law that had indeed chosen her and not her boys?

Or was it because she was now stuck with her decision that wasn't even hers to begin with?

Hours went by as she began to drift off and felt herself beginning to need sleep desperately.

But she didn't care.

Sleep was for the weak.

And Hermione Granger wasn't weak.

Several times throughout the night, her boys had each come and attempted to coax her out of her room but she had refused each time.

She knew that they were growing worried about her state of unease and she could hear their voices speaking lowly outside in the hall.

She attempted to ignore the shooting pain that traveled up her body and into her heart as her thoughts began to focus on how her boy's must be feeling and how much she missed being with them.

She didn't need them.

At least for right now.

Or that was what she had been telling herself as she half sat half laid on her bedroom floor only clothed in her underwear and robe that was fully open and wrinkled.

She hadn't a clue if it was because of her earlier bout of sexual antics with Theo or if was because she had stayed there on her bedroom floor not caring if it was or not.

Her mind began to grow muddied and her thoughts began to slow as she blinked and saw that the room had become dark all except a thin, pale sliver of moonlight that shone through her balcony door.

She had closed the curtains hours ago.

She must have forgotten one.

She wanted to be alone.

She didn't want herself to feel the way she had about Theo again.

At least not without a sense of rational thought first.

She found it insane that she even felt that way at all.

She wondered if these feelings were actually hers or if they were the effects of the powerful magic that now bound them all together.

Curling herself around a large book she lay back on the cold, hard wooden planks of her bedroom floor and fell into a dreamless; restless sleep.

Outside her door, Draco and Blaise paced back and forth as Theo looked on now wracked with guilt.

He hadn't meant to cause such harm to their brand new relationship and was feeling terrible because of how Hermione had reacted.

He thought he had done the right thing by stopping them before they had gone any further, but now he realized he shouldn't have been in the midst's of such passion to begin with.

"How could you, Theodore?"

Blaise growled as he rounded on the disheartened brunette.

Theo shrugged now completely void of emotion as he stood under the glare of one of his best and only friends.

"Now she's never going to trust us."

Draco said simply as he stopped and glanced nervously at Hermione's bedroom door for the millionth time that evening.

"You just couldn't keep it in your bloody pants, could you?"

Blaise said yet again making Theo growl in frustration.

"I told you already. She came and found me. What was I fucking supposed to do? Tell her go away?"

Draco shook his head and ran a hand through his now messy platinum blonde locks.

Leave it to Theodore to make a mess of things.

If he was going to fix it he needed to do it fast and do it right.

Stalking down the hallway towards the stairs, he left the other two to sit and argue while he formed a plan of action.

Because if it was one thing Malfoy's were known for, it was action.

Draco made his way quickly down the stairs and through the darkened rooms of the house until he reached the living room where he threw open the French doors leading out into the gardens and stepped out into the cold, snowy air.

His breath appeared in chilled huffs as he shivered and wrapped his pale arms around himself.

If Hermione wasn't going to come out, then they were going to have to come in.

Not wanting to startle her by tearing down the bedroom door or apparating into the room, he devised a plan that made him quirk an eyebrow at his thoughts but still make him pleased that he still had at least some of his cunning traits intact.

Standing underneath his new fiancé's balcony, he huffed out another cold breath before going off to fetch his broom.

Making his way through the snow and ice, he trudged over to the small shed that stood in the back of the property.

Back when he was in school he would've balked at having his broom stored in such a fashion, but now that he was older, possibly wiser and just more practical in general he couldn't find it in himself to care about the state of his broom.

He rarely used it anymore anyways.

Nowadays all he had to do was think about a place and apparate or floo himself to wherever he needed to go.

Grabbing his broom out of the shed and locking the door behind him, he started off in the direction of his distraught fiancé.

If there was another thing Malfoy's were known for, it was romance.

Yes, they were feared by many and were horrible people when it came to morals often times but no witch in the Wizarding World could deny the charm of a Malfoy man.

His father had had many lovers before he had met his mother and had only managed to slow down the trickle of his mistresses slightly in the recent years.

Draco had learned a lot of things from his father over the years and wooing the average witch was definitely one of them.

Not to say that Hermione was average by any means.

He had watched her for years at Hogwarts with her friends as they gallivanted around the Wizarding World saving everyone from a rather untimely death.

She had always been bright and the allure of her knowledge was something that he tended to crave the most.

He had never truly been with a woman in a way that he craved Hermione, but he was sure if he had she would wanted him even less than right now as he stood in the freezing cold at ten in at night looking up at her darkened bedroom.

Shaking his head, he swore to himself at the sheer fact that he was so dead set on wooing the one woman who he knew for a fact had hated him the most over the course of their lives.

Shakily mounting his broom, he kicked off and sped towards her balcony.

He hovered momentarily on the other side of the railing as he tried to figure out whether or not she had already gone to bed.

Confusion was written all over his features when he landed outside the door and saw that her bed's covers were still freshly made.

Casting a wordless spell over the doors lock, he quietly made his way into the darkened room and was immediately greeted with a sight that broke his heart into pieces.

There lying amongst scattered books was his fiancé whose hair was matted against her forehead and her clothes rumpled and skewed.

Quickly making his way over to her, he shook his head when he saw that her cheeks were tear stained and the skin around her eyes was puffy and red.

Carefully bending down, he took her gently into his arms and began to lift her off of the mound of books.

She stirred slightly making him bite his lip in slight frustration before he decided that the best course of action would be to settle himself on the ground where she previously had laid.

He clutched her sleeping form tightly to his chest and watched as she nestled herself into him making a small, yet fleeting smile form on his thin lips.

Looking about the room, he saw that her dinner sat on her window seat untouched making him look quickly down at her in concern.

She hadn't even eaten.

And now she had cried herself to sleep on the bloody bedroom floor?

What on earth did Theo do to her?

He couldn't even imagine what could've caused the usually spunky witch to become so tattered and upset.

He sent a solid death glare towards the bedroom door and vowed that once he had gotten things fixed with their fiancé, he was going to have a definite talk with Theo about his apparent inappropriate behavior.

He sighed and ran his thumb over a small pool of tears that had settled at the corner of one of her eyes.

His poor little witch.

She looked utterly destroyed and he had no clue why.

It was then that he caught sight of the books that they were apparently sitting on.

His brows raised towards the ceiling when he saw that they were a collection of books on the Sacred 28.

Could Hermione have been questioning her decision to marry them?

Was she regretting the fact that they were destined to be together?

Merlin only knows what she had been thinking.

Draco cast a worried glance down at her and then over at the books.

What should he do?

It wasn't like he could wake her and ask her.

Or could he?

He debated the idea back and forth before deciding against it.

If she wanted to wake up and tell him she would have.

But he needed to get to the bottom of this so they could find a solution.

He knew if he just let the problem fester then it would get worse with every passing day.

Sticking his tongue against his cheek he tried to wrack his brain for a possible plan of action and was frustrated beyond his limit when he found none.

If Hermione was questioning her decision, then there was nothing that could be done now.

They were in this union now whether they liked it or not, for better or for worse.

Right now he was thinking it was leaning towards the worse side but he couldn't be sure until Hermione woke up and finally gave them all a piece of her mind. Oh Merlin, did he wish she would.

He would give anything to have her yell or scream or do anything but lay here in his arms after crying herself to sleep in a bout of misery.

He knew that Theo and Blaise were probably wondering where he was and what kind of fool hardy plan he had concocted but that didn't matter now.

All that mattered was the small woman who lay haphazardly in his arms who apparently had been distraught enough by her thoughts to lock herself away from them all.

She obviously wasn't finding any of them a comfort enough to come and tell them what was on her mind.

And that was when it hit him.

They needed to find someone that did.

Carefully rising to his feet, he cast a wandless sleep spell on his fiancé before he marched over to the bedroom door and flung it wide open startling both Theo and Blaise who looked at him as if he were mad.

"Theo, Blaise grab your cloaks. We're going to find us a Weasel."


	12. Chapter 12

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 12

A/N: Can't sleep cause I'm sick so I decided to give you more chapters. You're welcome.

 **The Burrow 12:00 p.m.**

Hermione's eyes slowly blinked open and yawned sleepily.

The memories of last night came back in full force as she sat up quickly and took a deep breath.

A confused expression came over her features when she stopped to look around the room.

She wasn't in her room.

She was somewhere else.

Looking down at the bed she saw that a rag quilt covered her petite frame and old flannel sheets sat beneath her.

That was when she got a good look at the room she was in.

She was in the Burrow.

How had she managed to get there?

She remembered that she had last been in her bedroom.

So why was she here now?

And where were the boys?

Panic began to set in for a few moments before a knock sounded on the door making her freeze in place.

A familiar voice called out as the door opened and Molly Weasley burst into the room.

"Good morning, Hermione dear. I thought I'd bring you breakfast and that we could have a little chat."

She said gently as she placed a breakfast tray full of food in front of her. Hermione stared numbly at the plates of food as Molly took a seat beside her.

"Draco, Blaise and Theo arrived here late last night and said that you were upset and that I might be able to help."

She said gently as Hermione's expression turned into one of bewilderment.

How had they managed to get into her room and how did they know about her being upset?

Questions circled in her brain as she met Molly's gentle eyes.

"They said that you might have some questions about your engagement and the Sacred 28. I thought I might be able to answer them."

Molly said as she gestured to the breakfast tray.

Hermione nodded thoughtfully and took hold of her fork before plunging it deep into her ham and cheese omelet.

It was smart of her boys to bring her here.

How they even knew where the Burrow was, was a mystery to her.

But none the less she was thankful for their thoughtfulness.

"I was wondering how the Sacred 28 chose me to marry the boys and if the feelings that I've felt recently are my own or the magic of the bond?"

She said carefully as Molly nodded and gave her a small smile

. "Well, us Weasley's are a part of the Sacred 28. We aren't in the main circle, but we do know of the marriage law. When the Sacred 28's family population falls below a certain number, they have the right to choose a witch suitable to marry and produce heirs to keep the magic of the 28 alive for the generations to come."

Hermione nodded once as she stuffed a large helping of egg into her mouth.

That part she knew.

They had explained that to her at the engagement ceremony.

"First, I should probably start with why the Sacred 28 chose Draco, Blaise and Theo to start a new bloodline."

Molly said as Hermione's ear's perked up.

This was new.

She hadn't heard about why her boy's had been chosen.

"The Malfoys, Zabini's and Nott's are the most powerful magical families in this part of the magical world. Their magic is the most potent out of any magical being here in Britain. Because of this, they were the prime choices to continue the bloodline. The rules state that it must be the youngest heirs to carry on the bloodline, so that is why Draco, Blaise and Theo were chosen. Their parents have already done their part to further the magic of the 28. Now it is their turn."

Hermione's mind whirred to life as she digested the new information.

She wasn't surprised about her boy's family's being the most powerful.

She had witnessed their magic over the years and it was far superior of any witch or wizard that she'd seen.

They could perform complicated spells that she had an inkling of a feeling were of their own creation and could do them wordlessly and without a wand.

Wandless magic was quite rare and from what she knew of the Wizarding World, it was reserved for the most powerful witches and wizards.

"And as for the feelings that you're having, they most certainly are real.

The bond merely helps strengthen those feelings and solidifies your connection with those you're engaged to.

Tell me, how do you feel about each of the boys?

Not all three together, but each of them.

What different qualities so far have you noticed that you like?

Perhaps if you pin point those qualities and recognize them, you can feel more assured in the feelings that go along with them."

Molly suggested as Hermione stopped for a moment and put her fork back on her plate as she thought about each of her boys.

What did she like about each of them?

Lately she had seen them as some sort of unit, but each of them in turn?

What was it that had made her draw closer to them?

Molly waited patiently as Hermione began to share her thoughts aloud.

"Well, Draco I've always noticed throughout the years has been on the same academic level as me and I definitely appreciate that.

Now that I think about it, I believe Blaise and Theo were too.

I always value someone's intellect over all else I think."

She said as Molly smiled and nodded for her continue.

"Draco I've noticed is quite the romantic.

He always comes up with ways to make sure I feel special and wanted

. All of them do, but I've noticed that he is the one that is the best at it."

She said as a light blush found its way to her cheeks.

"And Theo is very passionate about the things that he loves.

I can already tell that he'll always take our relationship seriously and I have a feeling that I'll be able to not only share love with him, but many other things such as hobbies or favorite past times.

He seems like the type of man who would take interest in the things I love and be capable of sharing them between us."

She said as she thought of Theo and how their moments together had made her smile.

"And Blaise is very protective. He often seems older than he is and that's a very attractive quality to me because he often is wiser than the rest of us and I feel that he has seen a lot of life and he will be able to share a certain understanding with me that perhaps the others may not."

She said as she thought about Blaise and how he always reacted so quickly to situations that had come about.

Molly nodded, satisfied with her answers.

She smiled down at the young witch as she watched her realize more and more how much she had in common with her wizards and what she already liked about them most.

"And what do you love about them as a whole, dear?"

Molly prompted as Hermione paused for a moment before her blush deepened and she raised her head with a serious look.

"They make me feel loved in a way that I've never felt before. Not even you all or Harry and Ron have ever made me feel the way they do. When I'm in their arms, it's like the world is shut out and it's only us in that exact moment. They make me feel safe, secure and cherished."

She said as Molly nodded thoughtfully.

"And those feelings and qualities are what you should remember when you find yourself doubting your decision to marry them. Just keep remembering that you all were destined to be together for many reasons, not just a few. And that all of your boys will continue to cherish you, bond or no bond. It's impossible for the bond to break, but even if it did; you all would still feel the same as you do. The bond is merely a protector of those feelings and allows them to grow and strengthen so you flourish together as one."

Molly said as Hermione's eyes filled with tears and she gave a little sniffle.

She hadn't realized how much she had already began to care about her boys and how much they had already apparently shown that they cared for her.

Another knock sounded on the door as it opened and Ron appeared in the door way with a smile.

"Can I let them in now? They're becoming bloody hostile out here. If they don't see her soon I think they'll tear down the entire house."

He said teasingly as Hermione's heart skipped a beat.

Her boys were here and they wanted her.

Molly nodded and stepped aside as Draco, Blaise and Theo burst into the room and ran towards her.

All of them dove onto the bed and surrounded her as they gave her hugs and kisses.

Theo kissed her gently all over her face and pull back just a bit so he could look her in her eyes.

His eyes shone with light tears as he gave her a serious look.

"I'm so sorry Mione about scaring you. I never should've let it get that far. I promise that when we do actually make love that it'll be the right time and we'll all be ready for when it happens."

He said gently as she nodded and smiled through her tears.

He gave her one more kiss before moving off to the side so Blaise and Draco could greet her.

"Love it's so good to see you feeling better. You had us all bloody worried."

Blaise said as he took her into his arms and rocked her back and forth gently. Hermione let out a giggle and kissed him thoroughly before Draco pushed him out of the way.

The blonde's eyes filled with tears as he tackle hugged her to the bed and planted a kiss so big and passionate on her lips that she felt like both her body and the room was on fire.

When he pulled back, she saw that he was looking down at her with a look of pure adoration and love making her heart warm in her chest.

"If something's ever wrong, Mione please come talk to us. Don't ever be afraid to tell us what you think and feel. We'll never judge you for that and we'll always be here for you."

He said seriously before he planted another kiss on her lips and made room for Blaise and Theo to lie on either side of them.

Molly and Ron exited the room and closed the door quietly as they allowed the four new lovers to bask in the glow of newfound love and trust.

As Hermione joked and laughed in her boy's arms, she realized that she never had lost who she had been before.

She had only become the better, and more loving version.

Her boys were here to stay and she wouldn't have it any other way.


	13. Chapter 13

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 13

A/N: Well I know some of you may have an issue about how fast the whole Hermione feeling bad about the engagement thing was solved, but I never intended for this story to be a very angsty one. It's supposed to be happy and fluffy so I'm happy with how the last chapter turned out. This is supposed to be a feel good story. So please enjoy those good feelings that it gives you because I definitely know I am as I write it.-MoonlitShadow

The rest of the morning passed by rather slow as Hermione and her boys spent some much needed quality time at the Burrow with the Weasley's.

She hadn't realized how much she had missed being here and how nice it was to be able to share the feeling of comfort that she got from being here with her boys.

She had noticed that all of them had gotten very relaxed and comfortable as they busied themselves with different fun activities.

Currently Harry, Luna and Neville had flooed over and all of the boys were playing a rather intense game of quidditch out in the back yard.

Luna was sitting with her on a blanket on the soft green grass as they watched the others soar through the sky.

They had chatted back and forth about the going's on in each of their lives and Hermione found that it was nice to have another girl to talk to.

She had been around her boys for the past few days and had found that she rather missed the feeling of being in female company.

Luna's eyes sparkled with happiness and pure joy as she watched Hermione light up every time one of her boys scored a point.

"You look absolutely radiant like this, Mione."

Luna pointed out as Hermione glanced over at her with a lazy smile.

"I feel like it too."

Hermione said as she reveled in the glow of relaxation.

She never knew life could feel so good and she was definitely hoping that it stayed that way.

She and the boys would be married in a little less than three weeks and she found that she was already beginning to count down the days.

They had gotten an owl earlier that morning from Narcissa Malfoy about starting the process of the wedding planning.

Hermione couldn't help but feel a bit excited about the prospect of having the wedding of the century.

The Daily Prophet would be announcing their engagement that upcoming week and she knew that it would be all that was talked about.

The feeling of pride swelled in her chest as she watched her boys flit about through the air as they raced after the snitch.

She was marrying them and they would be all hers forever.

She couldn't help but feel lucky that she would be theirs as well.

She suddenly was drawn out of her thoughts when she realized that Luna had been talking to her this entire time.

"Mione? Are you alright? You look like you've got something on your mind."

Luna said as she looked at the brunette witch in concern.

Hermione nodded and reached over to squeeze the blonde's hand.

"I'm good, Lu. Just thinking about the wedding is all."

She said as Luna nodded and a dreamy look took over her features.

"Do you know what type of wedding you'd like it to be, Mione?"

She asked as Hermione paused for a moment and thought about Luna's question.

What did she want her wedding to be like?

She had never really been the type of girl to always have a picture perfect fantasy of how her wedding day should be.

If she was going to be honest, she had never really given it much thought at all.

But as she sat there on the grass watching as her boys zoomed above her, a slow; hazy image began to form in her mind of her in a long white dress walking down a long cobblestone path with rose petals scattered all the way to the alter where her boys waited in the finest dress robes smiling at her.

It was a pretty picture that was for sure.

Hermione found herself lost in her daydream as Luna simply waited for her to resurface.

Finally, Hermione blinked a few times before turning back to Luna.

"I want it to be simple, yet elegant. And I want it to be not too big, and not too small. It needs to be just right, Lu."

She said wistfully as she watched the boys score the winning point making Ron, Harry and Neville groan in frustration.

Luna nodded and smiled dreamily towards the sky.

"That sounds like a lovely wedding, Mione. Perhaps one day I'll have one as well."

She said as Hermione nodded and turned her attention back to the boys who were dismounting their brooms and heading towards them.

Brushing herself off, she stood up and met them halfway.

Blaise lifted her into his arms and spun her in a circle excitedly.

"Did you see that point, Mione? It was a nice shot, yeah?"

He said as she giggled and planted a kiss on his waiting lips.

Draco and Theo also looked positively glowing as Blaise passed her into their waiting arms.

"We'll get you next time, you bloody snakes."

Ron muttered as he walked past.

Hermione giggled as her boys rolled their eyes.

Harry shot them a thumbs up before they all headed inside for lunch.

When they arrived inside they were surprised to see Narcissa Malfoy, Blaise's mother and Theo's mother sitting together at the dining room table with Molly as they thumbed through various catalogs and pieces of parchment.

All of the women perked up as soon as they spotted Hermione.

"Oh Hermione, dear. There you are! I was hoping that I would get a chance to catch you before you all returned back to the manor."

Narcissa said as she quickly rose out of her seat and hurried over to her

. Hermione was surprised when the woman planted two light kisses on her cheeks and gave her a tight hug in greeting.

Hermione shot a look over at Draco who merely shrugged in response.

"It's good to see you too, Mrs. Malfoy."

She said politely as Narcissa waved her hand dismissively while pulling her back to the table.

"Oh please. We're family now, dear. Call me Cissa."

She said as Hermione's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she carefully schooled her face into a polite expression.

She had never thought she'd seen the day that Narcissa Malfoy would call her family and allow her to call her anything but Mrs. Malfoy.

Draco looked pleased at his mother and fiancé's interactions as the boys and Luna sat on the opposite side of the table for lunch.

Molly shook her head when they took their seats and pointed to the stairs.

"Oh no. You all are eating your lunches upstairs. There's important wedding business happening down here and we don't need any distractions."

She said as the boys looked put out and Luna sent a wink over to Hermione who smiled after her.

As soon as everyone had left the room but Hermione and the four women, Narcissa took her hand and led her over to a seat between her and the three other women who sat patiently waiting for a chance to meet her.

"Hermione dear, please let me introduce you to Mrs. Cortana Zabini and Mrs. Evanka Nott."

She said as the two women politely stood and took turns saying hello.

Hermione was surprised to see that neither of them seemed to hold any type of hostility towards her even though they had most likely been on the opposite sides of the war.

"It's lovely to finally meet you, Hermione."

Cortana said with a strong Italian accent making Hermione smile as it reminded her of her son who was no doubt causing trouble upstairs with the others.

"Theodore was ecstatic when he found out that you all would be getting engaged."

Evanka said happily as Hermione detected a light eastern European accent.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both."

Hermione said politely as Molly pulled up a chair and placed a tray of small cookies and cakes onto the table.

Hermione reached for one but Molly batted her hand away and pointed to the magazines that lay spread out before them.

"Oh no. Planning first, food later."

She said sternly as Hermione awkwardly placed her hand back in her lap.

"So, Hermione what type of wedding do you see yourself having?"

Narcissa asked as she took out a quill and a piece of parchment to make notes.

Hermione thought back to the daydream that she had earlier and recited it exactly as she had seen it. Narcissa nodded and wrote down every word as Cortana, Evanka and Molly gave various input.

In the end they decided on a medium sized wedding that was simple, yet elegant with a hot pink, lemon and tangerine wedding scheme and a larger reception that would follow.

They took note of specific decorations and ideas that Hermione wanted to include before they concluded their brainstorming session.

By the time they were finished, Hermione was exhausted mentally and physically and just about her entire wedding had been planned.

Narcissa rose out of her seat and gave her a hug and let out an excited squeal.

"Oh Hermione, it's going to be just perfect. I couldn't have imagined a more perfect wedding."

She said as Hermione nodded tiredly and gave hugs out to the other three women who were getting ready to go home for the evening. "

You must come over to the manor for tea sometime, dear. Lucius has been eagerly waiting for a chance to see you."

Narcissa said as Hermione nodded tiredly.

It was then that Draco appeared from behind her and wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders.

"I think it's time for me to get my fiancé home, mother. She looks utterly exhausted from all this wedding business."

He said as Hermione shot him a grateful smile. Narcissa nodded and kissed each of them on the cheek before stepping into the fire place and disappearing in a flash of green light.

Hermione breathed out a sigh of relief making Draco chuckle as he led her towards the stairs.

"Perhaps a nap is order for you, my love."

He said gently as they made their way up the stairs and into the room that they were sharing.

Blaise and Theo were sitting at a table in the corner playing wizarding chess and shot her smiles and each blew her a kiss before Draco turned and helped her into bed.

"Rest now, Mione. The worst is over. You've apparently pleased not just my mother, but all our mothers greatly. The hard part has been taken care of. Now you can sleep peacefully."

He said gently as he kissed her forehead and her eyes fluttered closed for the second time that day.


	14. Chapter 14

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 14

A/N: I really wish I could be taking a nap like Hermione did last chapter. Still can't fall asleep so here's another chapter.

Hermione let out a yawn and stretched her arms above her head when she awoke later that evening.

Her room at the Burrow had become dark with the fading sunlight and quiet leaving her to believe that the boys had gone downstairs.

She rolled over on one side and peered through the darkness at the magical clock on the bedside table.

7:00 p.m.

Her eyes widened to comical proportions when she realized how late it was.

She hadn't slept that long in ages and it made her panic slightly knowing that there were probably a million things she could be doing.

Throwing the covers off of her, she stumbled out of bed and hurriedly turned on the light before righting her crumpled outfit and making sure she looked presentable before heading downstairs to find the others.

She was surprised when she found that the Burrow's living room and kitchen were strangely empty and quiet making her face scrunch up in confusion.

Where was everyone and had she really slept that long?

Finding it odd that no one was around, she stopped in the kitchen and noticed that several mugs of half-drunk cold tea lay about on the dining room table and dishes were piled in the sink.

Suddenly a noise came from outside.

And then another. And another.

She went out the front door and smiled at what she found.

There laying in the grass was her family.

Molly and Arthur lay closest to the door as they laughed and snuggled underneath the sky full of brilliant stars.

A few feet away from them lay Luna, Harry, Ginny and Neville who were talking excitedly amongst themselves.

And at the edge of the property, her heart swelled to astronomical proportions when she saw that all three of her boys lay nestled in the tall grass laughing and enjoying the cool evening.

She breath appeared in a huff in front of her lips as she wrapped her arms around herself and made her way barefoot through the grass and over to where everyone lay strewn about like patches of laughing wild flowers.

"Oi! Hermione! Finally woke up, did ya?"

Ginny called out making everyone turn to her. Hermione laughed and nodded as she plopped down beside Ginny and watched from a distance as her boys continued to joke and tease one another.

"They're getting on quite well, aren't they?"

Luna remarked as her eyes trailed over their darkened silhouettes.

"That they are…"

Ron grumbled still apparently cross with them all after losing the quidditch game earlier that day.

Neville gave his shoulder a shove as Harry rolled over on his stomach and lay with his hand beneath his chin while giving her a lazy smile.

"Good end to a good day, eh Mione?"

He said as Hermione nodded and reached over to ruffle his messy brown hair.

He scowled playfully and proceeded to roll away and straight into Ron who decided that an all-out let's roll into one another and see who gets hurt first war was absolutely necessary.

Molly belly crawled her way over to where Hermione sat cross legged watching her boys while picking at a piece of grass.

"How are you, Hermione dear? Have you had your fill of us yet or are you ready for more?"

The older woman joked making Hermione roll her eyes playfully and smile down at her.

Molly's crossed her arms over one another neatly and laid her head on top of them as she let out a delighted sigh.

"You know these moments are the ones you should cherish, dear. Sometimes in life, they are fleeting and few and far between."

Molly said wistfully as Hermione nodded in understanding.

She watched as a light mist covered the aging woman's eyes making Hermione's own eyes water.

"This is what it means to live, Hermione. These moments, whether they be few or far between are what makes us or breaks us, dear. Always cherish them whether they be good or bad and you'll go far in this world."

She mused as Hermione looked up at the stars that covered the skies as far as the eye could see.

"Do you ever wish you could go back and change anything about your life, Molly?"

Hermione asked as she laid down and gave a contented sigh of her own.

Molly tilted her head to the side thoughtfully before giving it a firm shake.

"No, I don't think I would love. Every moment that has happened in my life has made me who I am today. And I am proud to say that I have grown into a mighty fine witch if I do say so myself."

She said with a wink making Hermione go into a fit of giggles.

Molly took her hand and nodded towards her boys with a smile.

"You will make them a fine witch soon as well."

She said gently as she squeezed the young witch's hand in her own.

Hermione sat there for a moment and listened to the joyful sounds that her boys made together and knew that every moment in her had led her to this exact one that they all were sharing together.

Looking down at Molly, she found the older witch was looking up at her with a sly smirk.

"Go find your wizards, young one. While I go find mine."

She said as she began to make her way back over to where Arthur lay chatting to Luna about the stars and what the meaning of life was.

Hermione smiled and took off in a run towards her boys before plopping down beside them.

They all sat up at once and greeted her as she smiled and laughed at their eagerness.

"You alright there, Mione?"

Draco asked as they lay back down and cuddled close while the moon hung low in the sky.

"I'm fine, Draco. I'm just fine."

She replied as took his hand and gave him the same squeeze that Molly had shared with her.


	15. Chapter 15

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 15

A/N: Hey all. Sorry for the delay. Was dealing with some things yesterday and wasn't able to get out any chapters. Now I'm back and going to give you at least a couple chapters today. What did you think of the last chapter? I have no idea where it came from but apparently it needed to be written. Anywho, on with the story.-MoonlitShadow

The next morning Hermione and the boys returned home to their manor with lots of exciting chatter about the fun they had and talk of all kinds of memories.

Draco apparated them to the front gates of their manor and temporarily took down the wards so they could enter.

Hermione walked arm in arm with Theo and Blaise as Draco pushed open the gates and moved aside so they could step into the massive gardens.

Hermione was half listening to the conversation that Blaise and Theo were currently having and staring up at the large manor that they now called home.

"It needs a name."

She said suddenly making Blaise and Theo look at her in confusion.

"What?"

Blaise asked as she nodded and gestured to the manor.

"The manor. It needs a name. We can't keep calling it "The Manor" forever."

She said as Blaise and Theo nodded in understanding.

"It already has a name."

Draco said simply as he followed behind them.

They all turned to him with curious looks.

Blaise and Theo had never been here before they had gotten engaged, but they had known about the mysterious manor from years of being around the Malfoy household.

"What is the name?"

Blaise asked as he and Theo's eyes fell on the massive stone building.

Draco was silent for a moment before sighing and answering him.

"The Briar Rose Manor."

He said as both Blaise and Theo quirked an eyebrow at him.

"It's named after a flower?"

Theo asked in an astounded tone.

The blonde nodded in confirmation before lifting his gaze to the old manor.

"That's a lovely name."

Hermione said as a gentle smile graced her lips.

Draco shook his head as his eyes fell down to the long, winding cobblestone path beneath their feet.

"It doesn't have a very lovely story that comes with it."

He said carefully as the others waited for him to say more.

Letting out another deep sigh, he met their curious gazes and held them as he began.

"This manor was built for my grandmother in honor of her and my grandfather's engagement."

He said as Blaise and Theo nodded.

They knew a lot about the notorious Abraxas Malfoy and his wife, Draco's grandmother; Luminera Malfoy.

The two were well known throughout the pureblood families as being some of the most difficult people to get along with.

"What you don't know though is that my grandmother Luminera was not my birth grandmother.

Abraxas had another wife before her that was my father's birth mother.

She tends to be a family secret amongst the Blacks and the Malfoys."

He said as Theo and Blaise's brows shot towards the sky.

This was new.

They had never heard of Abraxas remarrying.

They had always assumed that Luminera was Abraxas's only wife but were surprised when Draco continued.

"Her name was Rosalind Armand. She was a distant relative of the Black family. She was just seventeen when she and Abraxas got engaged."

He said as all of them stopped in front of the manor to hear the story.

"She was also seventeen when she died."

He said making all three of them look up at the manor with startled expressions.

"How did she die?"

Hermione asked as her brows furrowed in concentration.

She knew little about the Malfoy and Black bloodlines and she was very interested in knowing more for future reference.

"She was murdered."

Draco said simply as they all silently stood in a circle. Hermione's lips turned down into a frown.

"That's awful."

She said as she looked down at the ground.

Blaise and Theo exchanged a knowing look.

Murder was a terrible thing but ending a wizard or witch's life for disobeying family rules wasn't all that uncommon in the pureblood families.

"What did she do?"

Blaise asked solemnly as Draco was silent for a moment before he met his questioning gaze.

"She fell in love with a muggle."

He said as Blaise and Theo's eyes widened to the size of small saucers.

"A muggle? So she was a blood traitor?"

Theo asked as his mind whirred to life.

The Malfoy and Black families were the most well-known and respected pureblood families in England.

If there was a blood traitor amongst them, it would be terrible news for the family if word got out.

Draco nodded and continued.

"She was a pureblood witch who came from a respectable family.

She was set to marry Abraxas to smooth over old grievances between the families.

When she came of age, she and Abraxas got engaged but soon after it was discovered that she had fallen in love with a muggle and was planning to run off with him to escape her impending marriage.

She was executed shortly after with her muggle lover by her side.

This mansion is a sort of symbol in the Malfoy family for that story.

It has stayed empty until we got engaged.

We are the first people to ever live in it.

Neither my grandfather nor Rosalind ever touched it.

Yet the Malfoy's have mixed feelings over the property.

My father, even though he was taught to hate blood traitors, still kept this house in memory of his real mother.

It was named something else before he got hold of it, but he renamed it in honor of her.

It still is a very special property to him and he holds it dear. It is a privilege for us to be able to live in it."

He said as his eye trailed over the stones that made up its walls. Blaise, Theo and Hermione were silent as they digested the new information.

Hermione had always thought that Lucius hated anything that had to do with blood traitors or anyone that wasn't a pureblood.

But it was surprising to her that his own mother was a blood traitor and he still held her in such high esteem.

It made her have mixed feelings about her time that she had interacted with him during the war and made her wonder why he had let them move into this exact house after they were engaged.

They all were silent and Draco shrugged as they reached the front door.

"Father doesn't like to talk about it, and the story is somewhat of a rare thing to be told so I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention that I told you."

He said as they came into the receiving room.

Hermione's thoughts were loud and intrusive in her mind as she thought about Lucius and his mother and how cruel his father must've been to allow his fiancé to be killed for loving someone else.

Blaise and Theo seemed better equipped with dealing with the aftermath of the story telling and moved on to talk of other things as they went into the next room. Hermione stayed behind and had yet to take off her cloak making Draco's brows furrow in concern.

"Mione? Are you alright, love?"

He asked as she frowned and shook her head.

"Why did you tell us that story, Draco?"

She asked as Draco sighed and pulled her into his arms.

Hermione was reluctant to embrace him but found that eventually she had given up and rested her head on his shoulder while he held her tightly against him.

"Because it's a part of our family history that you may need to know about in the future."

He said as she nodded numbly. Draco pulled back and looked down at her with a serious expression.

"Hermione I also told you that story because my father told me to tell you it.

He wanted us to move into this house that he cherished so much from his blood traitor mother because this is his way of apologizing to you for the things he has done.

By showing you a side of him that no one knows, he thought perhaps you could have some insight as to why he was the way he was in the past."

He said simply as Hermione's eyes lit up in understanding.

So that was why she needed to know.

Hermione bit her lip and pulled back to look up into her fiancé's gray eyes.

"I think I would like to arrange that afternoon tea with your father for tomorrow afternoon if that's alright."

She said as he nodded in understanding.

The only way she could move on from what Lucius had done during the war was if she heard the apology for herself.

Draco embraced her once more before he left her to her own thoughts.

Lucius and all his secrets were about to become her family.

She needed things to be set right before they could go any further.

With that thought in the forefront of her mind, she made her way back into the other room to continue loving her boys as if nothing had happened.


	16. Chapter 16

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 16

A/N: So Lucius's mother's true identity is revealed. The story that went along with the manor was a bit weird and I admit it didn't make much sense because it wasn't explained very well but I'll have Lucius clear up any questions during that afternoon tea he and Hermione will be having soon. I do believe some father/daughter in law bonding is going to be needed.-MoonlitShadow

Hermione sat in the garden all day that day thinking about the story that came with the manor that loomed over her.

She now had mixed feelings about the house and it's property and in some ways felt like she was protesting being in it by staying out at the small wrought iron dining table in the gardens.

The fountain's stone swans looked over at her in concern as they sprayed spurts of bright teal water out of their beaks.

Hermione pointedly ignored them along with several garden gnomes that passed by that had given her pitying looks.

Hermione was determined to get over these odd feelings that she was having if it was the last thing she did.

Draco and the other boys watched her from the kitchen windows as they sat at the dining table with concerned expressions of their own.

"She's been out there all day. We have to go and check on her."

Theo insisted as Draco shook his head firmly.

"No. Let her have all the time she needs. She'll be alright. This is how she processes things. Feelings and emotions are the one thing that she has no vast knowledge about."

He informed them as Blaise nodded in understanding and took a sip of his coffee while Theo looked frustrated at the idea of leaving his fiancé to deal with her being upset by herself.

"I still don't understand why Lucius wanted her to know about the house."

Theo said as Draco and Blaise looked over at him with seemingly calm expressions.

"Because it's important for her to know that my father isn't as terrible as he seems."

Draco said simply as Blaise and Theo exchanged a sideways glance.

Draco's father was known for being terrible in general.

News of him not being terrible would indeed shock them.

Admittedly, Lucius had changed drastically since the war but still everyone was just as cautious around him as they were then.

He still had quite a temper and it tended to flare up at the most inopportune times.

Even Narcissa knew that it was sometimes best to let her husband brood instead of being the object of his wrath.

"She wants to have tea with him tomorrow afternoon."

Draco said as Blaise set his coffee down with a loud bang and Theo looked at him like he was insane.

"Are you crazy?! Hermione and your father are about to become family but that doesn't mean you should subject her to him willingly!"

Theo practically shouted as Blaise glared in the blonde's general direction.

Blaise pointed to Theo.

"He's right you know. Your father has changed since the war but not that much."

He said as Theo nodded in agreement.

Both boys had become used to the elder Malfoy's ways over a number of years spent with their family but Hermione was still new to Draco's father when he wasn't terrorizing the Wizarding world.

Draco glanced out the window again at Hermione's hunched over figure as she studied several books that lay on the table in front of her.

Her face was set in a concentrating expression and her hands eagerly flipped the pages as she read.

"She's a strong witch. She'll be just fine."

He said as he turned back to Blaise and Theo who looked more and more angry as the moments ticked on.

"Of course she is but that doesn't mean that she should have to deal with the man who practically tortured her during the war."

Blaise said seriously as he met Draco's eyes.

Theo looked worriedly between the two knowing that both wizards were a force to be reckoned with and he knew better than to get in the middle of this particular argument.

"It was her idea, Blaise. If she wants to go and believes she can then by all means let her."

Draco pressed as Blaise shook his head firmly.

"No. Absolutely not. I refuse to have her become more upset than she already is. Your father should've known that she would react this way but apparently he doesn't care if she did or not which is exactly why she needs to be kept away from him."

Draco let out a sigh of frustration as Theo interjected as the voice of reason.

"Draco is right also, Blaise. If Hermione wants to go see his father then we have to let her. We can't keep her here against her will. And who says that Lucius doesn't care what she's feeling? It is rather odd for the man to be showing he has feelings let alone be showing them to a muggleborn who's about to become his daughter in law."

Theo said bluntly as the other two quickly turned towards him.

"Lucius Malfoy has no feelings."

Blaise said coldly just as a rather familiar voice sounded from behind them.

"Is that so, Mr. Zabini?"

Lucius drawled as they all quickly turned and practically jumped in fear as the older Malfoy crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at them with an annoyed expression of his own.

"Next time that you feel the need to insult me, might I remind you that I was the one who made it possible to marry your witch in the first place."

He said in an equally cold tone as Blaise ducked his head in embarrassment.

"My apologies, Mr. Malfoy."

He said quietly as Lucius nodded and made his way over to the windows that looked out over the garden.

His gray eyes scanned the greenery until he spotted the one he had come for.

There, in the middle of the garden sat his soon to be daughter in law as she furiously turned the pages of yet another large book.

"Father, might I ask what you're doing here?"

Draco asked as Lucius looked down at his son and his friends who were looking very shocked that he was standing in the same room as them.

"I came to talk to Hermione."

He said simply as he turned back to the window.

Draco and the others exchanged a surprised look.

To his knowledge, Draco had never heard his father use Hermione's actual name.

It surprised him and made him suspicious at the same time.

"About what?"

Theo asked bluntly making Lucius turn and quirk an eyebrow at him.

"None of your business."

He said simply as he gave him a look that clearly stated his opinion wasn't needed.

Theo ducked his head and suddenly became very interested in his mug of tea that sat in front of him.

Draco knew better than to question his father but he couldn't help but be concerned as to what his father was doing here in their manor wanting to talk to his fiancé.

They all jumped when Lucius threw open the French doors leading out to the garden and stalked through the rows of flowers and trees until he reached the table that Hermione sat at.

Hermione looked up as he approached and gave him a startled look before steeling her expression into a neutral one.

"Lucius. What are you doing here?"

She asked as he moved the books away from her and took a seat in the chair beside her.

"I thought I'd come have a chat with my soon to be daughter in law."

He said as his gray eyes met her own warm brown ones. Hermione bravely looked up at him with a quirked eyebrow.

"No offense Mr. Malfoy but pardon my cautiousness at merely just having a chat with you."

She said as her voice remained calm and even despite the small amount of fear that she felt.

Lucius nodded in understanding and opened one of the books that lay in front of them and began flipping through its pages.

"I expected nothing less from you, Hermione."

He said as Hermione almost reared back at the sudden use of her name.

It sounded foreign on her former enemies tongue and she was hesitant to accept it.

"What do you want from me?"

She asked bluntly making Lucius's lips upturn in a small smirk. She was spirited. He'd give her that.

It was rare for anyone to attempt to defy him let alone speak so freely in his presence.

"Is it so odd that I wanted to come and have an afternoon chat with my soon to be daughter in law?"

He asked knowing all too well what her answer would be.

"Yes."

She said deadpanned making him chuckle at her raw honesty.

The know it all witch was beginning to grow on him.

She would make a fine addition to their family.

"I suppose it is then."

He admitted before raising his head and giving her a somewhat sheepish look.

Hermione was taken aback by the look unused to anything but a solid sneer on his features.

"I was wondering if you might be willing to have tea with me tomorrow afternoon. Tonight I'm afraid I promised my wife that I'd take her to dinner but tomorrow afternoon I am free."

He said as Hermione's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Dinner? With Narcissa?

No. That was way too normal of a thing for the feared Death Eater Lucius Malfoy.

Nonetheless she gave a small shrug of indifference and nodded before meeting his eyes.

"I suppose I could. I'll come round to the manor at about 3, then?"

She said as he nodded slowly, surprised that it had been that easy to get her to agree.

Perhaps the witch didn't despise him as much as everyone told him that she did.

"I shall see you then."

He said before he rose to his full height and looked down at her with a small smile.

"Take care, Hermione."

He drawled before he turned and made his way back towards the manor.

Hermione sat in stunned silence at the table and looked between the book that he had just been reading and his retreating figure with a bewildered expression.

"What on earth?"

She murmured as she watched him make his way back into the kitchen.

Lucius Malfoy had just invited her to tea.

How had he known that she was about to do the same thing?

Shaking her head lightly, she returned to reading her books.

Malfoy men. What a mystery.

She thought as she began to think of the things she wanted to discuss with her fiancé's formerly terrifying father.


	17. Chapter 17

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 17

A/N: I kind of like how the last chapter went. I feel like it stayed true to most of the character's canon personalities. Except Lucius. I kind of just wanted to make him a really awkward and unsure type of person when you take away all the fear surrounding him. Because what do you have left when you take the Death Eater out of a man? A really awkward and tall blonde that has no clue what else to do with his life.

Lucius left as quickly as he had appeared stating that he had other business to attend to.

Draco, Blaise and Theo sat in the now eerily quiet kitchen pondering what the hell just happened.

Draco summoned a house elf to clear away their dishes as they sat in stunned silence.

"Well that was interesting."

Blaise said for lack of better words.

Draco and Theo nodded in agreement.

They all looked up when Hermione came into the kitchen and gave them all a questioning look.

"What are you all doing?"

She asked making them all look at one another before shrugging.

"Brunch?"

Draco said simply as she slowly nodded before turning to leave the room.

"Well, alright then. Did Lucius just leave?"

She asked as they all nodded in confirmation.

She found it strange how they seemed to be rather quiet in her presence when usually they were all so willing to talk and joke around her.

Giving a shrug of her own, she made her way out of the kitchen and upstairs to her room where she proceeded to draw herself a deep bubble bath and try to process everything that had just happened.

Slipping into the iridescent bubbles, she sighed as the warm water washed over her skin.

Great. Now Lucius was involved.

All she wanted was a quiet afternoon at home and instead she felt like the metaphorical rug had been pulled out from under her.

Dealing with all three of her boy's personalities was one thing, but dealing with a somewhat hormonal and slightly psychotic father in law was not what she was expecting this early on.

They had been in the manor a week and she still hadn't gotten used to it all.

This big house, the engagement, the wedding, her new families.

It was almost too overwhelming for the young witch to handle.

But then again, it wasn't.

Hermione's thoughts turned to her memories from the war and all that she and her friends had been through already.

This was a piece of cake compared to that.

So what if she was marrying three former death eaters and gaining them, their families and all of their angsty issues?

She was still the same person that she had been since the end of the war and the start of this rather odd journey.

Delving into her past with Lucius shouldn't be as much of a challenge as she thought it would.

Still, the memories of Lucius's cruel nature made her give a shudder and turn the tap on the faucet on to fill the bath with more warm water as it suddenly began to feel chilled.

Once the temperature had returned to a comfortable one, she leaned her head back against the tub and looked up at the gray ceiling tiles that were spread out above her.

Lucius wanted to talk.

So she'd talk.

She'd tell him everything he wanted to hear and then some.

She'd tell him everything that she wanted him to know.

That was her plan anyways, to stay strong even though the feeling of still being that young curly haired girl of all of twelve in that bookshop the first time she had seen him and experienced his cold, hard stare remained with her as she prepared herself.

Her fingers and toes were beginning to get wrinkled with how long she had spent in the bath.

Rising up out of the water, she stepped out of the tub and pulled the plug before grabbing a soft white towel from the towel warmer and drying herself off.

A knock sounded on the door to the bathroom making her call out and a familiar voice answer.

"Mione, you alright in there? You've been in there for an awfully long time."

Theo's voice said through the bathroom door making her smile softly at the hint of concern in his tone.

"I'm fine, Theo. No worries. I'll be out in a minute."

She said before wrapping her plush pink robe around her frame and stepping out into her bedroom where Theo was waiting patiently.

He turned and gave her a brilliant smile as she approached.

"We were getting worried so I offered to go and check on you."

He said as she rolled her eyes playfully and gave him a hug.

He let out a little happy noise at the feeling of having her in his arms again and released her once he had gotten his fill.

"We wanted to make sure Lucius didn't cause too much trouble for you."

He said as his gaze flitted between her face and down at the floorboards.

Hermione didn't know exactly what to tell him.

She hadn't really gotten as far as letting her boys in on her ideas of having tea with the elder Malfoy.

Theo could immediately sense that it was a topic that she was momentarily uncomfortable with, so he decided to change the subject for now.

"How was your bath?"

He asked as he tried to sort through the emotions that he was feeling about her being upset by his best friend's father.

"It was good. Relaxing."

She replied making him nod in understanding.

His hands nervously found their way into the back pockets of his designer jeans as he looked around the room for any type of answer that he could give her.

He found none as they awkwardly stared at each other for a moment before she turned and walked away from him and headed towards the dresser on the other side of the room.

"Was there something you needed, Theo?"

She asked making him a bit surprised at the question.

He had thought that she might want to spend some quality time with them downstairs where they all were currently making some actual lunch instead of the sad coffee brunch type thing that they had done earlier.

"Draco's cooking lunch."

He said as she turned and quirked an eyebrow at him while pulling out a top and a skirt to go with it.

"Cooking? I didn't think you all knew how to cook."

She said as a surprised glimmer appeared in her eyes before disappearing.

He shrugged unsure of what to say to her remarks.

"I didn't have house elves when I was growing up. Draco, Blaise and I decided to learn how to cook so I could make myself meals."

He said truthfully as he stood there awkwardly in the middle of the room.

This was news. Hermione turned towards him with a curious expression.

"You didn't? But I thought all purebloods had house elves?"

She asked as she suddenly placed the clothes that she was holding in her hand onto her bed and made her way over to him.

Theo shook his head and averted his eyes to anywhere but straight at her.

"That was if you were rich. My mother and I were not."

He said as she tilted her head up at him and began to look very confused.

"What do you mean?"

She asked as he felt a hard lump forming in his throat at the mention of his childhood.

He rarely talked about it and he doubted anyone else knew beside Draco and Blaise and their respective families.

His gaze fell on the window that looked out over the gardens and he began to follow the rows of greenery with his eyes to distract him from the painful memories.

"My mother was a single witch when I was born. We have no idea who my father is. We were poor but technically pureblood so we were allowed within the Sacred 28. Blaise and Draco's families often took us in when we had nowhere to stay. My mother was young when she had me and wasn't really prepared to raise a child. I often was left to fend for myself along with Draco and Blaise. We became close during those early years."

He said as his eyes remained firmly on the gardens so he wouldn't have to see the pity that had appeared in his fiancé's eyes.

"Oh Theo…"

He heard her say but chose to not turn towards her as he stood almost nose to nose with the window's glass.

"It's fine, Hermione."

He said as he let out a slightly annoyed huff.

He hated it when people heard his story and pitied him for it.

He kept his back towards her as he continued.

"I'm fine now. My mother remarried. We have more than enough galleons sitting in our vault at Gringott's."

He said firmly as Hermione almost shrank back from his tone.

She wasn't used to Theo being so serious and was momentarily reminded of his behavior when he had been at Hogwarts last year.

She was silent for a moment and nodded even though she knew he couldn't see her.

"Was he good to you?"

She asked as he slowly turned towards her.

"Who?" Theo asked feeling slightly confused at her question.

"The man your mother married."

She clarified making his eyes lit up in recognition before he gave a shrug of indifference.

"He taught me the Dark Arts just like any other pureblood father.

He never really was much of a personable person though.

" He said almost nonchalantly making her wonder about his words.

"Where is now? I didn't meet him when I met your mother."

She asked curious to know the answer.

He gave another shrug.

"Dead. He was a run of the mill death eater just like the rest of them. He left a fortune behind though for my mother."

He said simply as he studied her with an unreadable expression.

This was their first really serious conversation and he wanted to know what judgements she came to.

"What are you thinking, Hermione?"

He asked as he watched her pause for a moment before giving him a slightly unsure, small smile.

"That I'm glad you're here with me now."

She said making him snort with laughter.

So no judgement then.

He could live with that.

"Good."

He replied just as he heard what sounded like shouting coming from downstairs and smelled the smell of smoke wafting up the stairs towards them.

"Damnit! I told him to leave the stove alone."

He groaned before he gave her a small kiss on her cheek and turned to save the house from burning to the ground.

He glanced behind him as he left the room and found that his fiancé was still standing there at the window watching his retreating figure as he left her with the first real piece of knowledge about him that he had ever given her.


	18. Chapter 18

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 18

A/N: This chapter is called me stalling because I have no idea what I'm going to do for the next chapter and I still need to work out the logistics of the afternoon tea with Lucius chapter. Enjoy.-MoonlitShadow

The rest of the day proved to be rather uneventful as Hermione kept Theo's confessions in mind.

She had no idea that things could be so different than she had imagined them to be for the pureblood children within the community that she thought she had already pegged out.

Her mind had come to life with questions and ideas about what Theo had told her about the early years of his life.

What if there were other pureblood children like him?

Were all of the pureblood families so understanding and welcoming to that type of situation?

It began to make her question everything she thought she had known about pureblood witches and wizards and the customs that governed them.

Her mind went to thoughts of her other boys, Blaise and Draco and wondered if they too had skeleton's buried in their closets that one day they would share with her.

As she sipped at her hot chocolate in front of the fireplace, she pushed those thoughts to the back of her consciousness as she leaned back into Theo's chest.

All four of them were on the large couch in front of the main fireplace cuddling while light snow began to fall outside.

Draco's legs were in her lap as he and Blaise rested on either side of her.

The couch was large enough so they all could spread out nicely without being too overcrowded.

Theo and Blaise were currently having some type of chat about the weather and the week's daily forecast while she and Draco stared off longingly into the fiery flames.

"It's supposed to snow all week.

We need to get some salt for the walkways before they freeze over."

Theo argued as Blaise shook his head.

"I'm not going out in this. You're nuts if you think I'm going to go out in the freezing cold just to go to some muggle store."

He said as Theo pursed his lips in annoyance.

"I wouldn't be saying we had to if we absolutely didn't have to."

He said as Blaise rolled his eyes defiantly.

"I'm not going and that's the end of it."

Theo let out an angry huff before rolling off to the side and sitting up so he could put on his boots.

"Fine then I'll go alone."

He said as Draco, Blaise and she watched him get up and trudge out of the room angrily.

Draco turned to Blaise with a disapproving look.

"Did you really have to upset him? He already seemed upset about something and now he's going to be a complete ass for the rest of the night."

He said as Blaise merely let out an annoyed huff of his own and turned towards Hermione with a smirk.

"So, I saw that you and Theo disappeared for quite a bit upstairs this afternoon. Tell me, love. Was he giving you a preview of what was going to come?"

He asked as he waggled his eyebrows at her.

Draco quirked an eyebrow at him and looked over at her with a confused expression.

"Theo and you disappeared? When did this happen?"

He asked as Blaise nodded excitedly.

"Oh yes. The two of them were upstairs for quite a while this afternoon. I heard them in Hermione's room."

He said in a conspiratorial tone making Draco shoot a curious look over at Hermione who looked anywhere but at them.

"Really? And what were you two doing up there all alone?"

Draco asked in a more serious tone making Hermione turn towards him with a scowl.

"Absolutely nothing. He came to check on me and we were talking."

She said before taking another larger sip of her hot chocolate. Blaise and Draco looked at her with identical "I don't believe you" looks.

"Really. We were just talking. He was telling me about his childhood."

She said as she took another sip.

An awkward silence followed making her look up and see that both boys were staring at her with serious expressions.

"He was talking about his childhood? What was he saying?"

Blaise asked as she put her mug down onto the coffee table.

"He said that his mum was a single witch and that they were poor but allowed to be part of the Sacred 28."

She said as she looked between the two with a somewhat confused expression.

"Why? What's going on?"

She asked as she felt herself begin to worry.

"Theo never talks about his childhood and there's a good reason for it. That must be why he's so upset tonight."

Draco said as he ran a hand through his blonde locks.

Blaise got up from the couch and headed toward the receiving room.

"I'll go find him. He shouldn't be alone."

He said simply as Draco nodded and Hermione remained shocked on the couch.

She hadn't any idea that Theo talking to her about his childhood was such a bad thing.

Concern was written all over her face as she turned to Draco. "

I didn't know that him talking about it was a bad thing.

Merlin, I've messed up haven't I?"

She said as tears began to spring from her eyes.

Draco shook his head and took her into his arms while shushing her quietly.

"No love, if he wanted to talk about it than that was his choice; not yours. You simply were the one he was talking to."

Draco said calmly as he ran his fingers soothingly through her hair.

Hermione felt absolutely terrible about how she had asked Theo about his childhood and she hoped that Blaise was able to find him and sort it all out before it got worse.

"Theo's a strong wizard, but sometimes even strong wizards have weak moments."

Draco said as Hermione nodded in understanding.

She and Draco lay together on the couch for another half hour before Blaise and Theo arrived home.

Theo entered the room first and immediately went to her while Blaise hung back so they could have a moment together.

Dropping down onto his knees in front of her, he kissed her hard on the mouth, bruising her thin lips as he poured all of the emotion that he felt into her.

Hermione let out a gasp and then a small moan when she felt his teeth nip at her lower lip.

The kiss was over far too soon for her liking when he pulled back and looked her in the eyes with a serious expression.

"I'm sorry if I worried you. When I talk about my past it's because I trust you and want to share it with you. You did nothing wrong. Please forgive me."

He said before he kissed her once, twice, three more times.

Her lips felt swollen and bruised as she lay there panting in Draco's lap looking up at the eager faces of her boys.

They all smiled down at her before each giving her a kiss and helping her sit up so they could crowd their bodies around her own.

"I think I quite like this whole being engaged thing."

Blaise said as he nestled his face into the back of her shoulder.

Theo lay sprawled in her lap and nodded in agreement.

"Oh yes. It's the best."

He said just as Draco kissed her again on the lips for the fourth time that night.

"But I'll like our special night much better."

He whispered to her making her blush and all of her boys laugh.

"Honestly I don't know what's gotten into all of you."

She muttered as she tried and failed to flatten down her now mussed up hair.

"You. You're what's gotten into us, love."

Theo said as Blaise and Draco nodded in agreement. Hermione looked at all of them in turn and fake sighed in exasperation.

Reluctantly she held her arms out wide and fell to the couch in a fit of giggles when they all tried to get in them at once.

As the snow trickled down outside, the inside of the house was beginning to get much warmer, in love and in spirit.


	19. Chapter 19

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 19

A/N: Ahh tea with Lucius! I hope Hermione is ready to be introduced to the new and improved Lucius Malfoy. Although I will say that while he's different, he still manages to keep that slight edge to him that we all know and love. I wanted him to be softer yet still slightly intimidating. –MoonlitShadow

Hermione arrived at the Malfoy Manor a little before 3:00 in the afternoon.

Draco and her boys had helped her pick out an outfit that was suitable enough for tea with Lucius.

Her hair was twisted up in an elaborate up do and she wore a long navy blue maxi dress with princess seams and an apron neckline along with a set of diamond studded jewelry that Draco had pulled from his family's vaults.

She wore high heels to match and a sparkly silver clutch as she dusted herself off and made her way into the Malfoy living room where Narcissa was waiting for her with a brilliant smile.

"Good afternoon, Hermione dear. My, don't you look lovely? Lucius is in the sun room waiting. Please let me escort you there."

She said as she linked arms with Hermione who nodded and gave her a polite smile of her own.

The walk to the sun room was mainly silent except for Narcissa's feeble attempts at neutral conversation.

The older witch eventually gave up and led her to a room on the side of the house where Hermione had never been before.

There hadn't been many places in the manor that she had been but this definitely was located in an entirely different wing so it was completely new to her.

She nodded a thank you to Narcissa before throwing open the French doors and stepping down into the large sun room that was mainly made up of an entire greenhouse looking Plexiglas room that had an entire 180 degree view of the gardens.

She found Lucius sitting at a small table in the middle of the room sipping his tea.

He looked up and nodded in greeting at her before rising to his feet and helping her into her chair at the opposite side of the table.

She found it strange that he hadn't hesitated to help her and it made her slightly nervous as a result.

Lucius waited patiently while she poured herself a cup of tea and sat back against her chair regarding him with a cautious yet courageous look.

"So Mr. Malfoy, what do I owe the pleasure of you inviting me to this lovely tea party?"

She asked boldly meeting his eyes.

Lucius almost let out his regular sneer but settled on a raised eyebrow at her oddly forward behavior.

"Like I said yesterday, Hermione. Do I have to have a reason for visiting with my daughter in law?"

He said dryly making her roll her eyes and set her tea roughly down onto the table top.

"Oh come off it, Lucius. We all know you want something. You'd never invite a mudblood to tea even if the Dark Lord fucking asked you to."

Hermione growled making Lucius's eyes widen for a fraction of a second before he silently rose to his full height and began to walk towards a row of magical roses in the back of the room.

"For fucks sake, Hermione. I thought we were past this."

He grumbled sounding utterly defeated.

Hermione's brows furrowed at his tone as she carefully got to her feet and followed after him.

"Gotten past what? The fact that I've been forced to marry three death eater's son's that may or may not have tried to end my life at one time or another during the war that only finished months ago?"

She said in a strange, calm tone.

Her voice had surprisingly remained even shocking Lucius to the core.

He was surprised at her audacity to come into his home and berate him.

Yet at the same time he couldn't help but feel a bit proud that he and the others had chosen a fine witch for their son's to marry.

"They love you, you know. They always have."

He remarked quietly making her have to strain her ears to hear him.

"What are you talking about?"

She asked as she bravely strode over to where he had his back to her.

"My son and his friends. They've loved you for years but never were allowed to show it."

He said simply as he slowly turned and regarded her with an unreadable expression.

Hermione had gotten rather good over the years at being able to tell the lies that a person had told just by looking at them and from what she could tell from the eldest Malfoy's face, there was none at the moment.

Her eyes softened for a fraction of a second before returning to their hardened glare.

"I would have never returned their affections anyways."

She said in an annoyed huff making him almost rear back in the ugliness of her tone.

He considered his words carefully before meeting her stony brown eyes.

"I know that you and I have had many, many reasons to hate one another over the years but for the love of Merlin, Hermione give the boys a chance. They never once wanted to act like they hated you and were dying for the chance to show you how much you meant to them. Now they finally have that chance and you and I have a chance to maybe not forgive, but at least make an effort for their sakes to act civil."

He said as he closed his eyes tightly for a moment and then opened them to show her the raw emotions that he felt.

Hermione almost gasped when she saw what looked like tears forming in the eldest Malfoy's eyes.

It made her anger at him lose its fire as she watched the man almost crumble before her.

"I know I've done many wrongs in this life, Hermione. But please, let me show you that maybe I can do one right."

He said as she glanced around him awkwardly unsure of what to say.

Seeing Lucius become emotional was something that had caught her completely off guard and she felt that the sooner she left this awkward mess the better.

She shook her head and turned to leave but not before throwing one last look over her shoulder at him.

"I will never forgive you for the things that you've done, but I will promise to show your son and his friends the greatest love I could ever give."

She said quickly before making her way back home.

Lucius stood there in the sun room for about half an hour looking at the doors that she had just burst through.

He had never heard such fire from a person in his life, including him.

The terrible things he had done in the war now haunted him as he stood there watching as the young girl who was going to become his daughter by law threw them back at him with such ferocity.

That was the way Narcissa found him.

Staring at the doors, with the most haunted and sad look that she had ever seen.

As soon as she saw him she left him alone knowing that he had needed this.

He had needed to be held responsible for what he had done.

But he had also needed to see that there was hope and one day, the darkness would fade and the light would prevail once and for all.


	20. Chapter 20

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 20

A/N: So I see you all liked the last chapter. Here's yet another one for you. I shall see how many I can write tonight while switching in between several stories. You all know that I love to multitask. –MoonlitShadow

It was a little after six in the evening when Draco, Blaise and Theo sat down to have dinner in the formal dining room.

Hermione had been gone for several hours and was expected to be arriving home shortly.

As Draco set the table, Blaise and Theo laid out the homemade dishes that they had managed to make together.

"I do hope Mione's back soon. I'm bloody starving."

Blaise said as Draco nodded in agreement.

"It shouldn't be much longer. I doubt father would keep her into the evening."

"I should think not. If it gets much later than I suggest that we send someone in after her just to make sure."

Theo said as he burst through the door from the kitchen carrying a steaming tray of enchiladas.

Blaise's eyes widened at the sight of the food and his stomach seemed to sing in approval.

"You're amazing at cooking, mate. Glad to see you getting into it again."

He said as Theo's face lit up in a proud smile.

"Well seeing as how we're all living here on our own, one of us is going to have to know how to cook."

He said simply as Blaise checked his pocket watch.

"It's been fifteen minutes. She said she would be back by now."

He said as he looked up and met the other boy's eyes.

Draco shook his head and pulled out his chair before taking a seat.

"She'll be fine. She's a war veteran after all. If anyone can take on my father, it'd be her."

He said as Theo nervously glanced over at the dining room's fireplace.

Suddenly they all jumped a foot as a brilliant green light flashed inside of it and Hermione stormed out into the room.

Everyone seemed to breath a collective sigh of relief before they noticed that she was upset.

"Shall we assume that tea with Lucius didn't go so well?"

Blaise asked as he shot her a questioning glance.

Hermione shook her head hard and dusted herself off before storming out of the room and into the kitchen.

The boys watched her go silently before looking at one another with nervous expressions.

"Someone should go get her."

Theo said as Draco and Blaise began the staring match of the century.

After a few seconds Draco blinked and rolled his eyes before scooting his chair away from the table and swaggering off after their furious fiancé.

Blaise snickered as Theo rolled his eyes in exasperation before sitting down at the table.

Hermione furiously soaped up her hands in the kitchen sink and scrubbed them clean before drying them on a paper towel.

She had had enough of Lucius and her fiancé's parents.

They all were a crazy lot if you asked her.

"What did he do this time?"

Draco voice asked as she spun around to look at him.

Putting her hands on her hips she shook her head again before making her way over to the kitchen island.

Placing her hands down onto its granite countertop, she sighed and gave a shrug of indifference.

"He was being nice. It scared me."

She said as Draco blinked three times before bursting out laughing.

Hermione scowled at him before plastering her best pout on her face.

"It's not funny. I'm serious. He was all happy and creepy. It's not normal."

She mumbled as Draco wiped at his eyes that were now watering at his fiancé's confession.

"Love, you're upset because my father was kind to you?"

He asked as she nodded firmly and refused to meet his eyes.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she let out another frustrated sigh before he came round to the other side and took her into his arms.

"I'm sorry he scared you. I did try and warn you that he's a changed man now that the war is over. He's not as scary as he used to be, trust me. He's much more docile now that he's basically the equivalent of death eater retired."

He said as she buried her face into his chest and relaxed completely as his smell washed over her.

"I just don't understand why he's trying to be nice after all that's happened."

Hermione said as Draco nodded thoughtfully and leaned up against the island with her still clutched firmly in his arms.

"I think he feels bad for what he's done to you and your friends and probably the rest of the wizarding war now that he's realized exactly what it was that he did. I don't think he'll ever fully understand everything that he did but we can only hope that he will."

Draco said as Hermione remained lost in her thoughts.

"He is sorry, you know. He told he was, didn't he?"

Draco probed gently as Hermione first shook her head but then began to nod reluctantly.

Leaning back against his strong hold, she looked up into her fiancé's eyes that she knew all too well.

Draco had the same eyes as his father making her believe it to be a male Malfoy trait.

"He did try to apologize but I didn't accept it. I don't think I will ever be able to accept an apology from the man that has made almost my entire life a living hell."

She said firmly as Draco nodded in understanding.

"And no one expects you to, darling. He simply was trying to come to an understanding before you entered our family as the next Malfoy wife."

He said as her fingers traced the lines of the striped long sleeved shirt that he was wearing.

"I understand that but what I don't understand is why he's so willing to accept me."

She said as she looked up at him curiously.

Draco's eyes followed her fingers movements on his chest before he swallowed hard and a light blush formed on his pale cheeks.

She was surprised to see that he looked a bit bashful and embarrassed at the moment which she found to be a very endearing look for him.

"It's because I asked him to. I knew that if I ever had the chance to marry you, I would. And I wanted to make sure that he and mother wouldn't bother us once we got married and had a family. I want our lives to be as easy as possible, Hermione. We've all been through enough already."

Draco said quietly as Hermione's fingers reached up and caressed his blushing cheeks.

Finally, she nodded and gave him a small smile of approval before reaching up on her tip toes and placing a sweet kiss on his lips making her giggle at the way that his blush became even darker.

"What was that for?"

He managed to stutter out as he touched his fingers to his lips and looked down at her with a look of surprise.

"For being amazing. As always."

She said simply before turning and walking back into the dining room.

Draco stood there at the kitchen island stunned at the interaction that he had just had with his new fiancé.

She had kissed him.

Hermione had kissed him

. Who knew all it would take was tea with his father to get Hermione Jean Granger, the witch that he had lusted after for years to finally kiss him?

He turned slowly and could hear the others laughing in the next room and a brilliant smile began to form on his lips as his expression lighted considerably.

Perhaps life with the know it all witch wouldn't be so bad after all.


	21. Chapter 21

When the Darkness Fades Chapter 21

A/N: I'll just leave this here. –MoonlitShadow

Dinner was rather enjoyable that night and even after every last bit of the delicious food was gone, they all had remained gathered around the dining room table late into the evening as they talked about anything that came to mind.

Hermione found herself laughing and really enjoying herself with her boys.

Draco had pulled out a bottle of wine and they all were well into their third and fourth glasses.

Blaise was on his sixth but at this point nobody was counting.

Hermione had felt herself become slightly tipsy about an hour ago but couldn't find it in herself to care.

All of them were in good spirits when they finally decided that it was time for bed.

Blaise was leaning on Theo's shoulder as the tall wizard helped him to his feet as Draco pressed a tipsy kiss to Hermione's cheek and gave her hand a squeeze before summoning a house elf to take care of the mess on the table.

With a loud crack, a small house elf wearing a night cap and nightgown appeared with a rather cross look on its face.

"Masters and Mistress need something from Rosey?"

It asked impatiently as Hermione and the boys looked at each other with amused smiles.

"Yes, Rosey we need you to gather the kitchen elves and work on cleaning up the dining room and kitchen for the night. Also I was going to leave a request for a special brunch menu for tomorrow morning on the kitchen counter if that's alright with you."

Draco said gently as the elf nodded and with a loud crack disappeared once again.

Hermione giggled at Blaise's drunken bewildered expression as Theo wrapped an arm around his waist to keep him firmly grounded.

"Bit angry, isn't she?"

Blaise mumbled as Theo rolled his eyes and helped him towards the door leading off into the hallway.

"I would be too if I was woken up by us lot in the middle of the bloody night."

He said as Blaise let out a bark of laughter before promptly stumbling off towards the stairs with Theo's help.

Draco and Hermione surveyed the mess and although in a regular state of mind, she would've minded giving a house elf too much chores this late at night; she found that her exhaustion had won out for the night and that the stairs leading off to her room looked rather inviting at this hour.

"Well, shall we?"

Draco asked as he gave her a tired smile and offered her his arm.

Hermione giggled and wrapped her hand around it as they carefully made their way back towards their rooms.

"That was a rather exciting end to a terrible day."

Hermione mused as Draco led her up the stairs and over to her bedroom door. Draco was silent for a moment before finally nodding in agreement.

"It sure was."

He said simply as even in his slightly drunken state he could still see the outline of her delicate features and soft, tired smile in the dim light of the moon as it shone through the upstairs windows.

Hermione turned and placed her hand on the knob of her bedroom door before opening it and stepping into the darkened room.

Draco followed her inside as she flicked on the lights and began to get ready for bed.

Taking a seat amongst the massive amounts of pillows on her bed, he watched in amusement as his very tipsy fiancé stumbled about the room discarding her clothes and eventually reaching the wardrobe where she found a set of silky pajamas and slipped them over her slim figure.

She was beautiful, even if she was a bit drunk.

Her hair had become curly once again and he knew that the magic that kept it straight had worn off for the night.

She stumbled into the bathroom where he heard the water running for a few moments before she reappeared and made her way over to him, this time a bit more steady on her feet.

He gave her a tired smile as she climbed into bed next to him and curled into his side.

She gave a loud yawn and rubbed her eyes as he rested his head gently on the pillow beside her.

"It was a good night tonight, Hermione."

He said softly as he watched her big brown eyes start to grow heavy with sleep.

She nodded and gave him a tired smile of her own and wrapped the covers around her shoulders tightly.

"It was. I really enjoyed spending time with you all. I think I'm really starting to like living here."

She said as her voice dragged with a sleepy edge.

Draco yawned and wrapped his arms around her before nuzzling his nose into her long hair.

"Good. I'm glad. We're all glad actually. Slightly relieved too. If you were miserable here with us we'd feel terrible."

He chuckled as she smiled and rolled her eyes.

"I don't have time to be miserable. I've got three fiancé's with three completely different personalities to get to know and a large wedding that's happening in a little less than a couple of weeks to worry about."

She said in her usual know it all tone.

Draco smirked at her through the darkness, his eyes alight with humor.

"You've definitely got your work cut out for you, hmm?"

He drawled before placing a sweet kiss on her cheek.

Carefully, he climbed out of bed and leaned over her.

Tilting his head to the side in a curious look, he spoke quietly next to her ear.

"And how are you liking us so far?"

He asked as she paused for a moment before a blush took over her features.

Draco smirked proudly as her blush deepened and her voice began a bit breathy while she gazed into his stormy grey eyes.

"I think I like you all just fine. But there's still a good bit that I need to figure out with you all."

She said as she tried and failed to keep the lust out of her voice.

Draco leaned even closer to her as his breath fanned out across her face.

"You'll get to know everything in due time, love. For now, just enjoy each moment as it comes."

He said before pressing a firm kiss to her lips making her gasp when his tongue ran along the bottom of her lip.

When he pulled back she was practically panting with need and the blush had taken over all of her face as she looked up at him in surprise.

"Sleep well, Hermione."

He said simply before throwing a smirk at her over his shoulder and swaggering out of the room.

Hermione panted heavily as she reached down between her legs and felt wetness seep down into her panties.

When her fingers brushed against her pleasure nub, she gave a small moan and gasped in pleasure.

Looking nervously over at the door, she knew that she had to be quiet unless she wanted her boys to hear her and come to check on her.

She pinched her nub and pulled at it gently kneading the fleshy skin.

Her head flew back against her pillows as she let out another quiet moan.

Biting her lip hard, she thought she tasted blood as she tried her hardest to keep the boys unaware of her late night activities.

She began to rub in figure eights as the skin began electrified with a sensation of pleasure.

Her moans increased as she rubbed faster and her pussy's lips dripped heavily with her desires for her soon to be lovers.

She wondered as a fleeting thought what the boys would do if they knew she had been so affected by them tonight.

Whether it was them or the alcohol or a mix of both, she hadn't a clue but she was going to make the most of it; that was for sure.

"Ungh….Fuck.."

She moaned as her back arched off of the mattress and she slipped two fingers into her soaking inner caverns.

She was unprepared for the feeling of absolute ecstasy that washed over her as she clenched hard around her slim fingers.

She began to pump in and out slowly, and then faster as she thought of her boys and the way that Draco's eyes had scanned over her body so subtly that she knew he thought she hadn't seen him.

Or maybe that was exactly what he wanted.

To leave her needy and wanting more.

Not being able to contain herself until their wedding night that was fast approaching.

As she pumped hard in and out of herself, she felt herself explode and she saw stars as her intense first orgasm washed over her.

She was in a lusty sleep filled haze by the time she pulled her hands away and she fell back against the pillows in a cold sweat.

It was the first time that she had ever wanted to touch herself in such a way and it had surprised her in how much pleasure it had brought her.

A lazy smile spread over her lips as she thought of how many ways her boys would be able to pleasure her once they were married.

She hadn't a clue what they'd do to her but she knew from the look on Draco's face that night that it would be good.

As her breathing slowed and her eyes grew heavy with exhaustion, her last thoughts were of her three boys who slept unaware of how much she truly needed them.


	22. Chapter 22

When the Darkness Fades chapter 22

A/N: Surprise smutty scene last chapter. It's just the beginning of a long and happy sex life for these four. And because I feel like it, here's yet another one. This time, a certain blonde gets in on the action. And may or may not be interrupted by a somewhat drunk Italian wizard. –MoonlitShadow

Draco gripped his cock tightly in his hand as he came for a second time that night.

He had lingered outside Hermione's bedroom door and heard to his surprise some new rather enjoyable noises coming from his fiancé's bedroom.

Unable to handle the fact that she was pleasuring herself without him or his friends, Draco quietly slid down against the wall outside of her bedroom door and began to stroke his long, hard cock that was already dripping at the sounds of her lusty moans.

His shaft throbbed in delight as he took it in his hands and once more beginning to stroke its fleshy skin.

The delicious waves of pleasure shocked him to the core as he reintroduced himself to what the joys of such pleasure were.

It had been years since he had had sex and the last time wasn't very good if he could recall it correctly.

It was after a party with Pansy Parkinson and it had left a lot to be desired afterwards.

The thought of Pansy's small breasts in his palms made him reel back against the wall in utter disgust.

But the thought of Hermione's soft, fleshy orbs instead made his heart sing with glee at the wonderful twitch his cock gave in approval.

He started stroking himself slowly and then faster in time with his naughty witch's cries.

The sounds of her pleasure made his heart clench hard in his chest and he almost threw caution to the wind to go to her and satisfy her needs.

But he remained there on the floor of the hallway with his dripping cock in his hand knowing that if Blaise and Theo had caught them before their wedding night that it wouldn't have been pretty.

Explaining to his parents and the Sacred 28 why he had disregarded the rules of the marriage contract wouldn't have been pleasant either.

He knew he had to save them the embarrassment, so there he was.

On the floor, in a heated haze as the air around him tightened and made him pant with need for the witch that lay in the bed just beyond the door.

His cock gave another throbbing twitch at the thought of him soon being in the bed with her, pleasuring her in a way that she had never known before.

He knew for a fact that she was a virgin.

The ancient bond of their engagement wouldn't have happened if she wasn't.

It was odd that the ancient laws that had governed the 28 centuries ago still applied today.

At the thought of himself coming inside her tight pussy, he came again and again and had to bite his lip hard to keep himself from calling out her name.

He panted hard as her name tumbled quietly from his lips as he pleasured himself over and over until the noises from the other side of the door ceased for the night.

Finally as his cock became soft for the first time that night, Draco licked his lips and looked over at his fiancé's bedroom door marveling at the fact that she or the others hadn't heard him.

Suddenly the hallway lights turned on and there standing before him with their wands drawn were a very sleepy and surprised Blaise and Theo.

He let out a muffled sound of surprise as he quickly put himself back into a decent appearance.

Blaise and Theo looked at one another with looks of exasperation before finally lowering their wands.

"Mate, if you were going to bloody have a cock party out in the hall you should've known to invite us."

Blaise whispered quietly before he and Theo sank down against the wall of the hallway with their tired and more than satisfied friend.

"I didn't bloody think you'd want to know."

Draco breathed as Theo and Blaise chuckled at the blonde's state of distress.

"Of course we'd want to know. You know how we love a good show. We may have even helped if you'd have asked nicely."

Blaise said as his voice took on a gravelly tone.

Theo reached up and stroked his fingers through Draco's hair as Blaise lifted his soiled hands to his lips and gave them a solid lip making the blonde almost let out a yelp of surprise.

"It won't be long until our little witch knows of our sexual preferences."

Theo mused as he kissed Draco's flushed cheek.

Blaise tilted his head to the side and then glanced over at Hermione's bedroom door with a curious look.

"I wonder what she'll say when she finds out we're bi."

He mused as Theo shrugged in response.

"She'll love it. You know she will. If those bloody moans that she was making are anything to go by, I would say she'll love anything at this point."

Draco was still breathing hard as Theo and Blaise rested their heads against his own and leaned into him tiredly.

"Well we better head back to bed before our little naughty princess becomes aware of the secret party we've been having."

Theo said as Blaise nodded in agreement.

The two wizards helped Draco onto his feet and wrapped their arms around his waist tightly as they led him back to their rooms.

"It was a definitely a good night after all."

Draco mumbled tiredly as his secret lovers led him off to bed.

Theo and Blaise smirked at one another before each kissing his cheeks.

"It certainly was."

Theo said before all three disappeared into the darkness of their wing for the rest of the night.


	23. Chapter 23

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 23

A/N: Well hello there, strangers! It's been over a YEAR since I last wrote a chapter on this site…I know, I know. I completely suck because of that but for those of you long time readers of my fanfics, you know I struggle with several major illnesses that I'm currently fighting and I had to take a bit of a break from writing to get a bit better. So, now that my health is more stable, I'm back and I'm gonna be writing lots more chapters so you can all put the pitchforks down. Anywho, on with the show. –MoonlitShadow

Draco's cock throbbed with an angry sort of pain the next morning as sunlight poured through the large stained glass windows in his room of the manor.

Blaise and Theo lay haphazardly all over his bed as he took a deep, shuddering breath and let it out. All of them were as naked as the days they were born and thoroughly exhausted from their nighttime extra-curricular activities.

Waving a hand lazily in the air, he conjured the time to form in a cloud of light green smoke above their sleeping bodies. His lips upturned into a slightly amused smirk at his mastering of wandless magic at such a young age.

His father and mother had each taken till their adulthoods to master the fine art of wandless magic leaving him to be the youngest wizard in the history of the Malfoy family to master it within his teens.

He waved his hand once more, and the smoke disappeared into thin air just as Blaise gave a tired snort and slowly blinked his eyes open to look up at him with an amused smirk of his own. "Still bloody amazes me how you're so good at that." He said in a gravelly tone as Draco smiled brightly and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on his best friend's moist lips.

Blaise's mouth opened just as Draco's tongue slipped into its moist cavern and the two boys gently pushed their still asleep partner over to the side of the bed as they joined in a tantalizing dance of naughty intentions.

A small smile formed on Draco's lips when Blaise reached down and stroked his now hardened cock underneath the covers.

Draco let out a moan of appreciation as Blaise gripped it tightly and gave it a squeeze before continuing to stroke it firmly against his long, nimble fingers.

They both let out little noises of surprise when Theo's voice sounded from the other side of the bed.

"Oi! Really loves? You two didn't bloody get enough of each other last night?" He said meaning to look stern but failed miserably as a smirk of his own spread across his thin lips.

Draco and Blaise pulled apart to leave room for the thin, muscular teen to join their embrace.

"And what a lovely night it was." Draco cooed to both of them as they each nuzzled one of his rosy cheeks.

A sudden knock on the door made them all look up with suspicious expressions.

"Good morning, boys! May I come in?" Hermione's voice practically sung through the closed door making them all look slightly taken aback.

"She never is up this early…" Draco yawned as he pulled away from the others who merely gave him incredulous looks.

"A moment please, darling." Draco said loudly so their fiancé could hear him through the door as he tumbled around the room trying to pull on enough clothes to look somewhat decent.

On the other side of the door, Hermione stood already fully dressed in a long black and grey striped maxi dress with black gladiator sandals adorning her dainty feet. Her long hair was smooth and straight and hung low against her waist as she fiddled nervously with one of her diamond earrings that she twirled against her ear.

She had been up extra early this morning and had heard some rather interesting noises coming from the boy's wing of the house so she naturally had to investigate.

To her surprise, she had found all three of her Slytherin lovers entangled in an intimate embrace that made her insides twitch and throb with a fierce want.

So that was the secret that they were hiding. Her ruby red lips turned into a mischievous smile as she remembered the numerous amounts of rumors that had circulated amongst the students at Hogwarts about the three Slytherins apparent extra -curricular activities.

Just as the image of the three came back into the forefront of her mind, Draco opened the door and leaned heavily against the door frame in a lazy pose.

"Good morning, love. How was your slumber last night?" He asked as he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Hermione let out a girly giggle as she took him into her arms and gave him a good squeeze making him sigh with happiness.

"Oh it was lovely. I had the best dream last night." She said as he quirked an eyebrow down at her and glanced back into the room where Theo and Blaise were now fully dressed.

"Oh really? Do tell, darling." He said as he offered her his arm which she took eagerly.

"Oh yes, they were awfully amazing." She said as she gave all of them a wink.

Draco's eyes widened for a fraction of a second while Blaise and Theo looked on curiously.

"And what happened in these dreams?" He asked as his voice turned into a silky smooth caress.

"Well, there were three delicious looking wizards who had decided to take it upon themselves to give me quite a show." She said slyly as she looked up at him through her lashes.

Draco sucked in a hard breath as both their eyes fell to Blaise and Theo who were looking back at them with heated expressions of their own.

"Well, that sounds like you had triple times the fun." Draco said smoothly as he backed her slowly against the doorframe and placed each of his hands on the wooden frame next to either side of her head making her draw in a sharp breath of her own.

"Yes I did." She breathed out as his lips suddenly found her own making her let out a small gasp of surprise.

Just as his tongue slipped past her rosy lips and onto her own, a loud pop of apparition was heard coming from downstairs.

Draco immediently pulled back and drew his wand along with the others who stood in front of Hermione protectively.

"I don't remember expecting any visitors at this hour." He growled lowly as Blaise gently took Hermione's hand in his own and led her back into the bedroom.

"Neither do I, mate." Theo growled back as both boys disappeared into thin air with loud pops of their own.

Several things happened at once. First the loud shouts of Theo and Draco were heard as they reached the downstairs, and then the loud screech of a witch was heard directly afterwards as the sounds of spells flying back and forth carried their way to the upstairs landing.

"HERMIONE GET THESE BLOODY BASTARDS OFF ME!" Ginny's voice screamed as Blaise rolled his eyes and looked over at Hermione who looked utterly horrified.

Both raced down the stairs and practically slid into the dining room as Ginny threw yet another bat boogy curse at the boys.

Draco let out a yelp as the curse flew past him and into the wall making the picture frame that hung on it go crashing to the floor.

"Damnit Ginny! A little notice would be lovely if you're going to bloody visit!" Theo shouted at the witch who rolled her eyes and brushed off her skirt that had become filthy with the remains of what used to be the fireplace's mantle.

"How were you able to get past the wards, Ginny?" Draco asked as he looked at her curiously. Ginny rolled her eyes again at the blonde and waved her wand into the air muttering some type of spell so that a golden piece of parchment appeared in the air.

To their surprise, it was the original wedding contract that they had all signed at the beginning of their arrangement.

Only this time, when they crowded around it; several names appeared beside Hermione's in blue sparkling ink.

Ginny gave Hermione an excited smile as she pointed to the names that read:

Ginerva Weasley

Fleur Delacour

Pansy Parkinson

Susan Abbott

Parvati Patil

Lavender Brown

Daphne Greengrass

Millicent Bulstrode

Tracey Davis

"We're your bridesmaids, Mione! We're going to be meeting over here today so we can go over our duties with you and have a little get together." Ginny said happily as Hermione and the boy's eyes widened.

"Bridesmaids? Get together? Ginny what are you talking about?" Hermione said nervously as she looked at Draco who shrugged in indifference.

Suddenly there were a few more loud pops as the bridesmaid's themselves and the boy's mothers, Mrs. Weasley and several of the Slytherin girl's mother's appeared in the now overcrowded dining room.

"Hermione, dear! Oh how good it is to see you!" Narcissa cooed as she embraced her warmly.

The gaggle of witches each took turns saying hello to Hermione and the boys before heading into the large living room.

"And you three, get to spend some time with your fathers." Narcissa said sternly to Draco, Blaise and Theo who sighed exasperatedly.

"No buts, boys! Now get going!" She said shrilly as Draco and the others winced and each blew a kiss in Hermione's direction before disappearing with loud pops of their own.

Narcissa let out a girly squeal and twirled around to face Hermione who had gone several shades paler than she had at the Battle of Hogwarts.

Give her a battle against Death Eaters, sure; she could deal with it.

Give her a tea party with former Death Eaters who are now your mother in law's and new friends was a different story.

"Oh Hermione, darling. I've waited for this day for so long." Narcissa said as she sniffled lightly into a monogrammed handkerchief.

Hermione plastered a fake smile on her face and nodded silently as she watched her now mother in law weep with joy.

"Now then, it's time to have a bit of fun, yeah?" Narcissa said when she finally got herself together.

"What have I gotten myself into…" Hermione murmured to herself as Narcissa led her hand in hand from the room and into the disaster that awaited her.


	24. Chapter 24

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 24

A/N: Hello all my wonderful readers! I'm sorry that yet again I had another spell of writer's block. I was going to say that if any of you have any suggestions or ideas or comments for this story and any of my other stories please feel free to let me know. All I ask is that you keep your comments as kind as possible. I would happily welcome any type of suggestions that you have for the future plot of this story or any of the others that I am currently writing. I look forward to hearing from all of you and love you all lots and lots. –MoonlitShadow

As soon as Narcissa and Hermione stepped into the formal living room of the manor, the room went completely silent as each witch in the room regarded the bride to be with curious looks.

Hermione saw that Blaise's mother Cortana sat on the couch along with Pansy, Millicent, Tracey, Daphne and Astoria while Ginny, Lavender, Parvati, Fleur and Susan sat on the couch opposite them.

The room seemed to be divided into the Gryffindor side and the Slytherin side which made Hermione slightly uncomfortable at the thought of these witch's mingling together in one room.

But the silence didn't last long when Narcissa clapped her hands together and waved her hand so a frilly white arm chair appeared in the center of the room gesturing for Hermione to take a seat.

Hermione blushed several shades darker as the Slytherin girls snickered at the witch's obvious discomfort.

Ginny and Fleur sent them all glares which the group of girls returned with vigor.

"Ladies, as I'm sure you're aware by now you all have been invited here in honor of joining the future Lady Malfoy's bridal party. Hermione, is there anything you would like to say to the girls before we begin?"

Narcissa asked as she met each and every girl's eyes in the room.

"Yes, I think I would."

Hermione responded as she cleared her throat and stood gracefully looking around the room at her classmates.

"I would like to thank you all for coming and agreeing to be a part of our big day. It means a lot to me that you all would be willing to set aside your differences and come together to celebrate my husband's and I joyful union. I do ask that if any of you feel the need to be hostile towards anyone in this room that you please leave and we can find a suitable replacement for you. I will not allow any type of hostility towards each other or myself. No exceptions."

She concluded as she eyed both Ginny and Fleur who bowed their heads slightly.

The Slytherin girl's looked appalled by Hermione's words but Blaise's mother the Countess merely nodded and smiled encouragingly in her direction.

"That is correct, ladies. If any of you feel the need to try and upset or ruin this happy day for any of our son's or our new daughter in law, Hermione be forewarned that this will not be tolerated under any circumstances."

Narcissa said as she and Blaise's mother set out to put the fear of Merlin in each of the girls who reluctantly gave up their efforts to balk at the new bride to be's wishes.

Hermione smiled happily at Narcissa and Blaise's mother surprisingly pleased at their efforts to make this as enjoyable and easy as possible for her.

"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy."

Hermione said as Narcissa shook her head and wrapped her arm around the young witch's shoulders.

"Please call me Cissa, dear. Everyone does. Your part of the family now. I do look forward to spending as much time as possible getting to know you and your friends."

Hermione smirked when she saw that the Slytherin girl's eyes widened at Narcissa's pleasantries and stood just a bit taller and prouder when looking around the room at all of them.

"Will do. Alright, now that that's settled, we have a long list of tasks to complete right up until the big day. I have taken the opportunity to write them all down in great detail in this magical wedding planner notebook that I picked up the other day to keep track of all the fun festivities."

Hermione announced cheerfully as almost every school age witch in the room groaned.

It was no secret that Hermione was seen as the know it all bookworm at school and that she always managed to come overly prepared for any task at hand.

"Oh my what a grand idea!"

Narcissa exclaimed as her eyes flitted over the notebook's glittery golden cover.

Hermione sat down in her special chair and crossed her legs over one another before getting down to business.

As soon as she opened the notebook, a pink mist formed in the air and in gold lettering, each of the tasks for her wedding appeared neatly in a beautiful sprawling font.

She watched to her chagrin at how each witch's eyes in the room bugged out of their heads at the sight of the beautiful wedding magic.

She smirked proudly and began to read off the tasks and assign them to each group of girls.

"Pansy and Ginny, I would like you two to go down to the local bakery in Diagon Alley and collect color and flavor samples along with different design ideas for the wedding cake so the boys and I can go ahead and get the ball rolling on that particular order.

Astoria and Parvati, I'd like you two to check with the local magical florist and see what you can find out about the different types of bouquets that they offer and if anyone asks for a price range please see to it that they know there is none.

Daphne and Susan, please see to it that all of the invitations to the wedding are sent out and that the guests receive them accordingly.

Narcissa, Tracey and Fleur I would love for you all to accompany me in browsing through the different bridal collections at the local bridal boutique in search of the right gown.

And Lavender, Millicent and Countess Cortana please do go check in on the boys and make sure that their fittings are coming along just as planned and that we are indeed on schedule.

I will be seeing to it that an appropriate officiant is found to do the ceremony and also look for a suitable venue for a wedding of this size.

I must ask that out of courtesy for myself and the boys, that you all refrain from speaking to any form of the media about the wedding and how our preparations are progressing.

The boys and I will be holding a press release about the wedding about a week or two before the big day to formally make the announcement.

Now do any of you have any questions or concerns?"

Hermione concluded as she looked up and saw that no one seemed to have any.

Nodding to herself, she scribbled several notes into the notebook before looking up and meeting each girl's eyes.

"Well if that's everything than I will be happy to direct you to the tables full of refreshments and snacks out on the back patio for your enjoyment. If anyone wishes to speak with me privately, please do so now."

She said with a smile as the meeting broke up and the girls headed noisily out to the back patio to enjoy their refreshments.

Hermione rose to her feet and closed her notebook before handing it to Narcissa who was waiting patiently beside her.

"Thank you for assisting me so much in getting the girls together for this. I can use all the help I can get."

She said as she smiled kindly up at the older witch.

Narcissa beamed back at her and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"It is my pleasure, Hermione. Please feel free to call on me anytime you may need something. I will always be happy to help."

Hermione nodded in understanding and gave her a gentle squeeze back before they made their way out onto the patio where Molly, Ginny and Fleur were handing out refreshments.

Hermione stood at the top of the steps leading down into the garden and watched with a big smile as girls from both houses mingled and managed to somehow get over their differences to come together in the excitement for her big day.


	25. Chapter 25

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 25

A/N: Hello my lovelies! I missed you all so much! I was working on getting things together for the rest of this part 1 of this story. I think I've figured it out enough that we'll be making our way towards the end of part 1 of this story sooner rather than later. So with that said, Happy Valentines Day! I'm sending all of you lots of sparkly hearts and glitter in honor of my love for you all. Stay fabulous-MoonlitShadow

It was about six in the evening when the last of the bridesmaids left for the night and Hermione found herself once again alone in her bedroom chambers.

She plopped herself tiredly down into one of the large velvet armchairs in the middle of the room and kicked her heels off so she could comfortably watch the fading sunset.

She was exhausted from a long day of going over every aspect of her upcoming wedding with the numerous amounts of bridesmaids that she now had.

She had found that after awhile, even the Slytherin girls had started to warm up to her and by the end of the afternoon, they all were laughing and talking together like old friends.

Now all she wanted was a hot bubble bath, some good smelling lotion to rub all over her sore body, and a nice hot cup of her favorite tea.

But the peace and quiet didn't last long when a familiar tapping noise sounded at the French doors leading out to her balcony.

"What on Merlin's green earth is it now?"

She murmured before her eyes widened in surprise.

She quickly opened the doors and let in the small grey and white barn owl that had a letter clasped tightly in it's beak.

She giggled when it nuzzled her fingers and fed it a small treat before letting it rest on the back of her arm chair.

Her brows furrowed when she saw that the letter looked rather official and had an odd seal melded into the shiny paper.

It was of four hearts that were linked together as one in a silvery shimmer seal.

Shrugging to herself, she untied the letter and read it over several times.

Dearest little witch,

Your wizards humbly request that they have the honor of you joining them for a private event being held in the back gardens this evening.

Please do not worry.

Everything has already been arranged and taken care of for you for the evening.

In a few minutes, there should be an elf sent up to you that will have your outfit for the evening and anything else you may need to look as lovely as ever.

We have also sent up a tray of light snacks and your favorite tea as we don't want you to feel faint or too tired while we enjoy the pleasure of your company.

Please promptly meet us in the gardens at exactly 6:45.

We will be eagerly awaiting your arrival.

With great love,

Your wizards

Hermione's breath caught in her throat.

Apparently her wizards wanted to have her for themselves tonight.

She was unsure of what exactly that meant.

She hadn't been aware of any other events being planned for today but the excitement of their words in their letter made her giddy and eager to see what would happen next.

Suddenly there was a loud pop that came from the other side of the room and she smiled when she saw that it was one of the many house elves that took care of them at the manor.

The little female elf bowed deeply and carried over a large garment bag to lay across her bed.

"Mistress is needed by the Masters downstairs. The Masters sent Rosey to make sure the Mistress is ready for the surprise."

The little elf said before she snapped her fingers and made the tray of treats and tea appear on her nightstand just as her wizards had said.

"Thank you, Rosey. May I ask what event I'm attending tonight?"

Hermione asked gently as the elf bristled at her curious tone and shook her head firmly.

"Oh no, Mistress. The Masters made Rosey promise to not tell you about what's going on tonight. The Masters just told Rosey to get you ready and downstairs on time."

Hermione's smile faltered for a moment before she sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed and accepted the cup of tea that Rosey carefully handed her.

Her curiosity hadn't been satisfied yet and her eyes wandered over to the large garment bag which she knew was where they were hiding her outfit for the evening.

Rosey seemed to know exactly what she was thinking because she sighed and waved a hand towards the bag with a smile.

"Mistress is curious about her fancy dress that Master Draco bought her. Rosey supposes that she can show Mistress the dress a few minutes early."

Hermione quickly placed her cup of tea back onto the tray and hopped off the bed so she could come to stand beside the little elf.

Rosey magically unzipped the bag and Hermione let out a gasp when she saw the magnificent dress that lay inside.

The dress was a short cocktail dress that was a shimmery white with different colors of blue in hundreds of ombre beaded crystals on the corset bodice and a fancy ruffled white skirt.

Hermione's eyes filled with tears of joy knowing that she was definitely going to have to thank Draco for his kind gift.

"Oh Rosey, it's beautiful."

She exclaimed as Rosey nodded in agreement.

"Now hurry up, Mistress. The Masters are waiting."

Rosey helped Hermione slip out of her floral romper that she wore earlier that day and quickly helped her into the gorgeous dress for an evening that she was sure wouldn't disappoint the young mistress.

Rosey charmed Hermione's hair into an elaborate up do complete with shimmering rhinestones woven throughout her caramel strands and summoned a pair of matching diamond earrings and a necklace to go with her lovely outfit.

Finally, Hermione carefully stepped into a pair of crystal high heels that shimmered in the faint glow of the setting sun. Rosey clapped her hands excitedly as Hermione spun to face the mirror that stood on the opposite wall.

"Oh young Mistress looks so beautiful! The Masters won't know what hit them."

The little elf said as she sniffled and held back little tears of joy.

It was then that the clock struck 6:45 and Hermione knew that she was going to be late if she didn't hurry.

Dropping to her knees, she took the little elf into her arms and gave her a loving squeeze making Rosey let out a small sob.

"Thank you very much Rosey for all of your wonderful help. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go find my boys."

She said before she stood to her full height and apparated down into the gardens.

She was surprised and delighted when she arrived because she saw that there were hundreds of dangling white Christmas lights all over the arch way leading into the back gardens and colorful lanterns of all different shapes and sizes were magically floating in every direction leading her onto the path where her boys would be waiting.

It was then that she noticed several small decorated tables set up along the pathway that were lit up by small candles and decorated with yellow and white decorations.

Each table had a royal blue picture frame sitting in the center and when she took the first frame into her hands to inspect it she smiled and her breath caught in her throat at the glowing words that appeared before her eyes.

" _ **Hermione, ever since the first day I saw you in first year when you got off that bloody train I couldn't get your beautiful eyes or smile out of my head for the remainder of the time I have known you. You always have amazed me at how you've managed to keep up with me in academic's mark for mark. We've always been very competitive together and I look forward to many, many more years of competing for the top place in your heart and soul."**_

It was then that the words shimmered brightly again and a cute, magical picture of her and Draco making potions together in school appeared.

Hermione knew that there never was an instance where she and Draco had been smiling happily at one another while making potions even in the same room while they were in school but the sentiment was nice all the same.

After a few moments of gazing at the magical scene playing out in front of her very eyes, she set the picture frame back down onto the table and made her way a few steps down the path until she reached the next one.

She giggled when she saw the royal blue picture frame sparkle and pulse with magic letting her know that the wizard with the message that it held was rather impatient and giddy for her to know what he felt.

She picked up the frame and watched as another set of glowing words appeared before her.

" _ **Dearest little witch, I know that until recently we never have been able to be very well acquainted and for that I owe you a true apology. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined a more perfect witch that I will be spending the rest of my life with. You always match my wit and sarcasm with feisty words of your own and for that I am very grateful. I do hope that one day our children will inherit our ability for always keeping one another laughing even when the times get hard. I love you with every ounce of being that I am, and I do hope you will accept this note as a sign of my great and deep affections for you, my love."**_

Then the glowing words disappeared and Hermione's heart beat furiously in her chest knowing already which wizard the words belonged to.

A magical picture of Blaise and her out in the gardens riding around on broomsticks tossing back and forth a quaffle made her practically melt with happiness and love for her Italian wizard.

She then realized that these pictures that each of her wizards were giving her were not memories that had already happened, but dreams that they hoped would come true when they spent their lives together.

Tears formed in her eyes and she gave a little sniffle as she placed the picture frame back down onto the table and headed down the path until she reached the very last table.

It was there that the picture frame shuddered and practically leapt into her hands leaving no room for not knowing who it belonged to.

The glowing words once again appeared and she gasped at the love that they shared.

" _ **Mione, my love. You and I both know that this note and night itself have been a long time coming. Ever since we met a couple of weeks ago and have had a chance to be in one another's company, I can't help but wonder if you feel the same love and devotion that I do for you. Ever since that night we got stuck out in the rain storm and then spent the entire next day in bed, I knew that you were the witch that would always have my heart even when the skies are cloudy and grey. Please accept this note as a sincere dedication to my love for you and all that we shall become together."**_

Hermione choked back tears as a magical picture of her and Theo dancing and kissing in the rain appeared in front of her and she ran her fingers lightly over his face looking down at the handsome wizard adoringly.

She now knew what this night was and what it would mean for each of them in the days and weeks to come.

Gently setting the picture frame back onto the table, she looked up and was surprised to see all three of her wizards on one knee before her looking up at her with hope shining in all of their eyes.

"Hermione Jean Granger, would you do us the amazing, and glorious honor of becoming our wife?"

Draco choked out as Hermione nodded and rushed forward into their arms.

"Yes, yes I want to. There's nothing I want more."

She cried as all of them kissed and hugged her before Draco took her small hand in his own and slipped a lovely yellow diamond ring onto her ring finger making her gasp at its beauty.

The ring glowed a bright gold and pulsed several times before it fit itself permanently on her finger officially making her the fiancé of all three wizards.

Hermione and her wizards cried tears of happiness and joy as they held each other and celebrated deep into the night.


	26. Chapter 26

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 26

A/N: Ahhhh finally a bloody proposal! How'd you all like the last chapter? I thought it was rather creative. *pats self on back* Now it's just the time leading up until the wedding and then we'll probably move on to part 2 of the series. Book Two will be called Ashes To Dust and it's going to be Book Two in the From Darkness To Light Trilogy. So keep a lookout for it. I think we'll go up till about 35 or so chapters in this Book One before I start on Book 2. Book 2 will be about their married life and the challenges they face together. Love you all-MoonlitShadow

By the time Hermione finally got back to her very own bedroom, she was exhausted yet giddy and excited thinking about her future with her three new fiancées.

They had celebrated well into the late hours of the night out in the back gardens with lots of champagne and cards that their friends and families had written to congratulate them.

But when it grew late and they all were yawning together, Draco decided to lead them all back to their separate wings of the house and head to bed for the night.

Blaise and Theo were almost dragging behind her and Draco as they walked down the long path back to the house.

Hermione had shed her shoes somewhere in the yard hours ago and her hair had fallen out of its elegant style and now rested low on her back.

Draco had taken to running his fingers through it and caressing her lower back while they celebrated all evening.

She was thoroughly enjoying her boy's company and was excited to see what the next day would hold for all of them.

It wasn't going to be too long before the wedding arrived and they would finally be married together forever.

Hermione shuffled her way into her bathroom and went about stripping herself out of her beautiful engagement dress and taking a hot shower to rid herself of all the sweat and grime she had acquired while messing around with the boys in the gardens that evening.

Slipping on a comfortable cotton nightgown, she made her way over to her bed where she proceeded to attempt to fall asleep after everything that had happened that day.

But it was tougher than the young witch imagined it would be.

Hermione was used to calming her mind from racing thoughts thanks to her part that she played during the war but this was very different.

This was all good thoughts and happy hopes and dreams for the future that circled around in her brain.

The night's events played over and over in her mind and she found that after about half an hour of tossing and turning amongst her fluffy pillows and silky sheets that she wasn't going to be going to bed anytime soon.

Carefully sliding out of bed, she made her way over to her bedroom door where her long bathroom robe hung and she slipped it around her slim form before venturing out into the darkened halls of the manor.

She swore that as she stepped out into the hallway leading towards the landing of the stairs that joined her wing and the boys wing together, she could hear someone snoring awfully loud making her quietly giggle to herself.

She must've thoroughly tired out her boys for them to be snoring like that. She thought to herself as she made her way down the stairs and stood at the bottom of them trying to decide where to go. Knowing that the manor was dead quiet at this hour of night she decided to walk through the halls until she found herself in the room that she wanted to be in.

So she walked a bit and found herself ending up in the kitchen where she was surprised to see that the lights were all on and shirtless Draco clad in nothing but a pair of fitted boxer briefs and a kitchen apron was pulling a hot pan of goodies from the oven.

"Draco Malfoy! What on earth are you doing?"

She asked loud enough for him to hear her.

Draco became startled for a moment and almost dropped the baking tray crashing to the ground but managed to right himself just in the nick of time.

He looked over at her with an incredulous expression and gestured to the tray of red velvet macaroons that were hot and steaming from the oven.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm bloody baking. What are you doing up anyways? I thought we all tired you out enough that you'd sleep till noon."

He chuckled as he placed the tray down onto the top of the stove and turned off the oven before turning around to meet her curious gaze.

"You're baking at 1:30 in the morning?"

Hermione asked with an uncertain tone making Draco chuckle even more.

He swaggered his way around the kitchen island still dressed in his boxers, apron and oven mitts and took her into his arms before placing a loving kiss on her exhausted lips.

She relished the feeling of being in his arms and found herself jump a bit when an unfamiliar flow of magic gushed up her body and towards her center.

Draco seemed to feel it too and smiled happily against her lips.

Pulling back ever so slightly, he playfully cupped her face in his oven mitted hands and nuzzled her nose as he whispered to her softly.

"It's just the family magic, love. Don't worry. It won't hurt you. It's just getting settled inside your magical core to get ready for being bonded to us."

He explained as Hermione's eyes lit up with recognition.

"Oh, you're talking about the sacred 28's ancient family magic that flows from all three of you to me through the ring so we can bond for eternity?"

She asked as he nodded excitedly.

"Oh yes, little witch. Now you're truly going to be ours forever."

Hermione reached up on her tip toes and kissed him again and then once more before they both burst out laughing quietly.

She eyed the red velvet macaroon shells that sat on the stove top before regarding him with a coy look of her own.

"Would you fancy some help filling those shells with the proper cream cheese icing?"

Draco chuckled and nodded before slipping out of her arms and making his way over to the refrigerator where he pulled out an already made bowl of cream cheese icing.

"Always so resourceful aren't you Mr. Malfoy?"

She teased as she settled into one of the bar stools at the island while Draco fetched them both a pastry bag.

"But of course, Mrs. Malfoy. The more resourceful the better I always say."

He teased back playing along with her merry mood.

As soon as he took his seat, they began icing the lot of macaroon shells in a comfortable silence.

As they worked, Hermione caught Draco sending her little looks making her wonder what he was thinking.

As the clock struck 2:00 a.m. she decided that now was better than ever to ask.

"Draco, what is it? You keep looking at me like you want to say something. Is everything alright?"

She asked as she licked a bit of icing off the tip of her finger.

Draco looked up at her words clearly a bit startled and he paused for a moment before placing his pastry bag to the side and picking up one of the macaroons in front of him and examining it.

"Do you have any worries or fears about the future and our marriage, Hermione?"

He asked catching her offguard.

Hermione paused as well but continued to fill her macaroons as she pondered his question.

Finally, she looked up and nodded a bit reluctantly but with a reassuring smile.

"Well of course I do. It isn't every day that three rather famous wizards and a witch that's a war hero get married in an odd arrangement to save the bloodlines of the wizarding world."

Hermione chuckled as Draco eyed her carefully.

Placing the lone macaroon that he was holding back onto the tray, he nodded with an unreadable expression.

"Do you have any fears or concerns about all of this?"

She asked hesitantly, wondering what his answer would be. He was silent for a few seconds before he nodded and looked anywhere but her eyes.

"I'm worried about us returning to school in the fall for our eighth and final year at Hogwarts and how we'll all be married to you and you'll be in a completely different house from us. I'm worried how the other students will react to our marriage and how they'll treat you because of our rather famous past together."

He practically whispered making Hermione's heart clench hard in her chest.

So her wizard was worried for her safety while they were at school and how the others would react to their marriage.

She wasn't quite sure how to respond to that.

She knew that if it were Harry or Ron telling her this, she'd probably balk at them and tell them that she could definitely take care of herself.

But Draco's words concerned her and she wondered if he knew something about their return to school that she didn't.

Placing her pastry bag to the side, she looked him square in the eyes making him look at her in concern.

"Have you heard anything about it not being safe for us to return to school because of our marriage?"

She asked bluntly making Draco's eyes widen for a moment before he shook his head firmly and gave her a look.

"No of course not. If I had I would've told you. You know that Hermione. I just am wondering how the rest of the school is going to react is all. I haven't heard anything about any dangers concerning any of us. It should be an easy year for us as far as we're concerned."

He said with a small smile.

Hermione nodded, satisfied with his answer and smiled happily before picking up a macaroon and popping it into her mouth.

Draco watched as she chewed it and then swallowed before meeting his eyes again.

"You definitely are quite the pastry chef, Mr. Malfoy. I do look forward to you making many more treats such as these for as long as we're married."

She said with a hint of playfulness in her tone.

Draco chuckled and shook his head before pulling his bar stool right in front of her and leaning in to capture her lips with his own.

Hermione moaned lightly into his mouth as his tongue ran along her bottom lip, licking up any of the remaining crumbs from her late night treat.

Hermione smiled and giggled at his antics before pulling away and resting her head against his own with a tired smile.

"I do believe I'm going to enjoy being married to you, Draco Malfoy. I can't think of any other wizards besides you, Blaise and Theo that I would rather marry."

She said gently as Draco smiled fondly at her.

"Funny thing since a couple of weeks ago you couldn't stand us."

Hermione fake pouted at him and then leaned in for another kiss as they continued to enjoy each other's company until the sun peaked over the horizon.


	27. Chapter 27

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 27

A/N: Hello everyone! So sorry on the long wait for this chapter. I do apologize for that. A lot of things have been happening in my life including a major crisis that I had to get through these past couple of weeks. But I'm back now and feeling much better. I find that writing soothes the pain of dealing with such things as reality in life. Also, I wanted to address some of your concerns about Hermione's character development and O.O.C. personality traits. Let me just remind you that this is an A.U. extremely O.O.C. story that I've come up with. These characters will be nothing like the original characters that they were created from. The plotline and character development will be completely different and original. If some of you don't like this, then don't read it. That is all. Love you-MoonlitShadow

Blaise yawned and stretched as he sleepily blinked open his eyes.

The morning sunlight was streaming down from the stained glass windows in Draco's room where he and Theo had spent the night last night.

Ever since their little tryst together, the three had not spent another night apart.

They figured it was good practice for their marital bed which their newfound Slytherin princess bride would be joining them in soon enough.

Blaise's cock twitched at the thought of taking Hermione and ravishing her long into the night.

He wondered if she was a virgin or if she had already been taken by the Weasel or Potter.

As far as he had heard she was still a virgin.

Hermione Granger had always been known as a bit of a prude at school so it wouldn't surprise him in the least.

A slow smirk spread over his lips as he thought back to the many, many encounters with the female species that he and the others had since they had joined the Slytherin house.

Yes, all three of them were rather experienced and he knew that they would do awfully well when it came time to teach their princess how to become a rightful queen.

Theo seemed to notice him stir next to him, because the taller, lanky wizard raised himself into a sitting position and smiled lazily down at him.

"Already, mate? I thought you'd at least wait till after lunch for round two."

He chuckled making Blaise roll his eyes before he pounced on the wizard knocking him back against the soft covers and mounds of pillows.

The larger, fuller figure of Blaise looked down at Theo with a look of pure predator instinct.

Theo's eyes grew wide and then settled into a relax yet slightly excited state as his green orbs regarded Blaise's midnight eyes with a curious expression.

"Round two now then?"

Theo croaked out as Blaise rubbed himself against Theo's already hardened cock that was straining against his boxers.

Blaise let out a growl/laugh that made Theo groan with pleasure knowing exactly what was coming next.

"You seem to think you know me pretty well, Theodore. Tell me, what do you think I'll do to you next?"

Blaise said as a slightly twisted smirk appeared on his thin lips.

Theo's breath caught in his throat and he let out a small squeak of surprise when Blaise's hand dipped below the waistband of his boxer's and began stroking his impressive length that was already dripping wet for him.

Blaise tsked at him and shook his head before giving him a squeeze and rubbing his thumb in circles around the tip of his hardened cock.

"Always so eager, Theodore. You know what, since you want it so bad, I'm just going to have to make you wait."

Blaise said before laughter ripped from his lips and he quickly rolled off of Theo and made to get out of bed.

Theodore gasped at the sudden loss of pleasure and winced at the ache that his cock was now throbbing with and let out a groan of frustration.

"Damnit Blaise. Always such a tease."

He groaned weakly as he tried and failed to bring himself the same pleasure.

Blaise was practically giddy as he swaggered towards the door with a satisfied smirk planted firmly on his face.

"You never learn, do you, my darling Theodore?"

He said as he threw another cocky smirk over his shoulder and disappeared from the room leaving Theo alone for the first time in several nights.

Theo let out an exasperated sigh and shakily pulled himself from the bed and staggered towards the door determined to go after his cocky lover.

Blaise jogged happily down the stairs and towards the kitchen knowing that Draco would surely be found there.

He skidded to a stop along the tile floor though when he saw the scene in front of him.

The little house elf Rosey was standing with her back as straight as a board with her hands on her hips tsking down at a sleeping Draco and Hermione who were curled together on several blankets on the floor near the stove.

Blaise covered his mouth with his hand to keep himself from laughing so hard that he'd wake them up and he made his way carefully over to Rosey who looked up at him with an exasperated look.

"This is Rosey's kitchen, Master Blaise. Master Draco and Mistress Hermione be sleepin on Rosey's floor. They made a big mess in Rosey's kitchen too. Rosey found red velvet macaroons everywhere. Had to magic it away before you and the other Master saw it."

Blaise chuckled and shook his head knowing that the elf was fairly put out about Draco and Hermione's apparent late night activities.

"I'm terribly sorry, Rosey. It seems we have forgotten to let you and the other elves know that Draco has a habit of baking at the oddest hours when he's anxious or too hyper. This is what has appeared to have happened last night, I'm afraid. It seems he got Hermione mixed up in it too. I'll surely have a word with them for you as soon as we wake them."

He assured the little elf who nodded once firmly in agreement.

"Rosey knows just what to do, Master Blaise. Don't you be worryin."

She said before she snapped her fingers and summoned a rather large pot of ice cold water to float over Hermione and Draco's heads before magically dumping it all over them making them let out feral screams that sounded a lot like cats dying Blaise thought.

"What the FUCK!"

Draco screeched as he immediately jumped to his feet and spun around with his wand out in a defensive position.

Hermione also had her wand out and her hair was now curly and wild flying around her shoulders as her light pink silky robe slipped a bit off her shoulders giving them all a fairly decent view of her full cleavage.

"Yes, what the bloody FUCK!"

She echoed making Blaise chuckle just as Theo staggered sleepily into the kitchen and surveyed the scene with an incredulous expression.

"Well bloody hell! If there was going to be a fucking wand duel in the kitchen first thing in the morning, why the hell didn't anyone invite me?!"

He shouted at them as he looked almost as put out as Rosey did a few minutes earlier who was now sitting with a smug smile on one of the bar stools near the kitchen island.

It was then that they all practically jumped a foot as the popping sound of appartion was heard and Lucius Malfoy himself stepped into the kitchen with a raised eyebrow.

He tapped his cane against the floor and gave them all curious looks when he saw that all of them had their wands drawn and were clad only in their undergarments.

"Well, I was going to stop by and see if my beloved soon to be daughter in law would perhaps like to join me for some morning brunch, but if you all are busy I can always take a rain check."

He drawled as he over pronounced every word slowly as if talking to small children.

Hermione was the first to react as she let out a squeak of indignation and dropped her wand to promptly cover her almost fully exposed breasts that were barely keeping themselves inside her flimsy nightgown and robe.

"LUCIUS! What on earth are you doing here?!"

She squeaked as Lucius merely rolled his eyes and gave her a slightly pained yet exasperated look.

"I believe I just told you what I was doing here, did I not? Would you all mind putting on your proper attire so I don't have to stand her and awkwardly gawk at you in your undergarments?"

He asked politely as Hermione nodded quickly and grabbed her wand to place it back in its holster on her upper thigh before making a run for it to the safety of the upstairs.

Draco was the next to lower his wand as he ran a hand over his soaked blonde locks and sent a glare behind him at Theo and Blaise silently pleading with them to lower their damn wands.

Lucius merely stood there patiently before looking one way and then the other before leaning his tall figure against the door frame in a more relaxed position and gave all three men a playful smirk.

"So…what were you all up to last night?"

He whispered shouted over to them making Blaise and Theo immediately lower their wands and roll their eyes as Draco looked anywhere but his father.

"Oh so we're all going bloody mum on the subject? Alright then. Let me guess. Judging by the gorgeous ring on your bride to be's finger, excellent choice by the way in the ring and the woman wearing it; that you all finally got the bloody balls to propose to her and she accepted did she not?"

He quipped jovially making Blaise and Theo chuckle and Draco look slightly appalled at his father's use of such crude language.

Lucius Malfoy was known for many things, but relaxed, playful conversation was definitely not one of them.

Lucius quirked an eyebrow at his son who merely stared back at him before shaking his head and taking a seat next to Rosey who was still situated at the kitchen island looking just as smug as she did moments before.

Draco gave the house elf a glare and then proceeded to wave his hand so the tea pot near the stove began to fill and heat up.

"Well you're right. We did propose to her. And she said yes."

Theo said excitedly as he and Blaise took seats on either side of Draco as Lucius gave them a pleased and slightly proud look.

Draco looked between the three of them with exasperated looks silently hoping that his father would leave soon and his friends would bloody stop egging him on.

"Well it was obvious that she would. That is Malfoy family magic running through her veins now, you know."

Lucius stated in a matter of fact tone making Draco hide his face in the palm of his hands.

Of course his father would bring up how the family magic would obviously have some part to play in their engagement and impending marriage.

Blaise shot Lucius a disapproving look and wrapped his arm around Theo who was now trying to cheer Draco up by rubbing his shoulders softly.

"Don't forget the Zabini and Nott magic as well, Lu."

He said as Lucius gave a nod in acknowledgement.

It was then that Hermione reentered the kitchen finally dressed in a beautiful yellow sun dress and laced up gladiator sandals.

Her hair was now smooth and perfect once again and she strutted into the room with an air of confidence that they all knew was because of the Malfoy magic running through her veins.

Lucius smirked proudly and offered her his hand to which she smiled and placed her own into his larger palm.

He gently lifted her smaller hand to his lips and kissed the back of it in polite greeting making the witch blush lightly and shoot a look back at her fiancée's who looked amused at Lucius's antics.

"Hermione, love. You're an absolute vision in that color. It's only fitting that you allow me to take you out on the town and show off my gorgeous daughter in law to be to the entire wizard world."

He drawled making Hermione giggle and nod as he wrapped her in a tight hug.

"Oh thank you, Lucius. That would be lovely. I'll see you boys later then."

She said as smiled and blew kisses to them all before Lucius escorted her out into the hall so they could apparate away for the morning.

Once they had gone on to their adventure, Theo was able to pry Draco's hands away from his face and give him a sweet kiss on his lips to which Draco only groaned in exasperation at.

"Why did we bloody let her go with him again?"

He asked as Blaise and Theo chuckled at Draco's reluctance.

"Because your father, former death eater and Voldemort follower now adores your fiancé who just happens to be the smartest member of the Golden Trio. It's only right to let them bond. If Hermione's happy then you should be too, mate. After all it's her happiness that is most important in the end. We must make sure to achieve it every single day of our lives."

He said softly as each of them nodded in agreement.

Blaise and Theo wrapped their arms around Draco and each gave him a kiss on the cheek before giving him a tight squeeze making him squeak slightly in embarrassment.

"Love you, Drake." Blaise cooed to him as Draco rolled his eyes and begrudgingly responded.

"Love you too, you bloody asshats."

He drawled just as the tea pot sang it's lovely tune letting them know that the official new morning at the manor had just begun.


	28. Chapter 28

When the Darkness Fades Chapter 28

A/N: Hello all, I know I said that I was going to finish up this particular part one book one of this series with 35 chapters but I'm thinking it's gonna be somewhere between the 36-40 chapter range now that I have some more ideas that are coming to me about where this particular book one should stop. And then it's on to book 2 in the series From Ashes To Dust. By the way, in case some of you noticed this, I made a slight mistake in one of the chapters calling Blaise's mother Cortana instead of Lupita like I originally planned on, and also I completely forgot Evanka, Theo's mother at the bridal shower. So those two will be making an appearance sooner rather than later Lol. But Lupita I think is gonna be changed to Cortana. Anywho, I'm super excited about continuing this series and I hope you all are too. Love you all to bits-MoonlitShadow

After a long early morning brunch with her most notorious father in law to be, Hermione found herself exhausted and just wanting to throw her shoes to the ground and put up her feet on her tufted ottoman and sleep the rest of the day away.

But that was not her luck when she reached her room she found that Narcissa, Blaise's mother Cortana and Theo's mother Evanka, along with Astoria, Ginny, Luna and Pansy were all standing around seemingly waiting for her to arrive.

As soon as Ginny spotted her, she pointed and let out an excited squeal drawing all of the women's attention in the room to the exhausted Hermione who practically leaned against the doorway.

"Lucius really did a number on you, didn't he love? I did tell him to go easy on you seeing as how we have a full afternoon schedule ahead of us."

Narcissa said as she crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at her soon to be daughter in law's ragged appearance.

"Oh Mione! You look absolutely lovely in that dress! Tell me, was it the one that we picked out the other day when we all went down to that fancy little boutique?"

Ginny gushed as she and Luna joined her at her side.

Hermione nodded and smiled tiredly at the two girls before addressing them all.

"Well I'm not sure what schedule it is exactly that we have to keep but I just want to let you all know that I'm thoroughly exhausted after a full morning with Lucius."

She announced to the room as all the witches gave her understanding smiles except Astoria and Pansy who looked slightly uncomfortable with being in the presence of so many girls from other houses.

"Well that's all well and good dear, but we've got some bloody missions to accomplish."

Evanka said with a sly smirk as she gracefully crossed the room to take both of Hermione's hands in her own.

Both Evanka and Blaise's mother Cortana were dressed in some sort of witch evening gown that was mixed with robes that was all sparkly and dark colored while Narcissa and the rest of the girls seemed to be wearing different colored polished summer dresses.

Hermione quirked an eyebrow at the dark haired witch whose eyes sparkled with mischief.

"You haven't forgotten, have you? The most important parts of your wedding, dear. Your dress and your after garments."

The older witch giggled as everyone around the room smirked at her while Hermione's cheeks became flushed in embarrassment.

"Oh…Right. Well I think I'll just be needing a dress. Nothing other than that…"

She mumbled but was easily overpowered by all of the other witches in the room.

"Oh nonsense, Mione. You want to blow your new husbands away once they get a good look underneath your skirt the first time don't ya?"

Ginny quipped as Luna and her giggled at their friends bashful reaction.

The two Slytherin girls seemed to fall back with Evanka and Cortana who were arguing over the chicest bridal and lingerie boutiques in wizarding London.

"Oh yes, Hermione. You don't want to scare them away with nasty granny panties, do you?"

Luna said in a dreamy tone as her blue eyes found Hermione's now wide brown ones.

"Excuse me. But I happen to like my granny panties."

Hermione sputtered in outright horror.

"Of course you do. You're a lion after all. Lions aren't very exciting, right Weaslette?"

Pansy whispered loudly from behind them making Narcissa shoot her an exasperated look.

"That's quite enough, ladies. I'm sure Hermione will love everything we find her today to show our sons exactly how precious the prize she is."

Narcissa said in an even tone making all of them fall silent.

It was one thing to mess with the younger Slytherins.

It was another to mess with women who had once been forced to serve the Dark Lord as loyal Death Eaters.

Hermione, Ginny and Luna all knew to mind their P's and Q's as they followed the older witches out of the upstairs and down to the lower living room where they would floo off to their next destination.

"Alright everyone. It's decided then. We'll first go to the three boutiques that Evanka has suggested and then if we don't find a dress and some proper wedding night attire there, then we'll seek out others perhaps in Paris or Milan."

Narcissa said with a smile making Ginny and Hermione exchange a look while the other girls looked fairly excited.

"Paris or Milan?! How the heck are we going to get there and back on a timely schedule? I still have to have dinner with the boys. We have dinner together every night…"

Hermione whined as Ginny and Luna pulled her over to the large fireplace and waited their turn to floo to downtown London.

"Oh you'll be back in plenty of time for all of that, Mione. We've got a bloody schedule and it will be kept without any ifs, ands, or buts."

Ginny said firmly as Hermione turned to see Narcissa, Evanka and Cortana disappear with a flash of green light.

Then Astoria and Pansy stepped into the fireplace and uttered the same words that the others had before also disappearing before their eyes.

Then it was Hermione, Ginny and Luna's turn as they stepped into the fireplace and Ginny took a handful of floo power and threw it down onto the ashy ground speaking loud and clear.

"Louisa Mae's Bridal Wears."

And that was it.

It was the start of Hermione's impending wedding day preparations that seemed like it would never end.

Because if it was one thing the young witch knew, was that the others definitely knew how to shop.


	29. Chapter 29

When The Darkness Fades Chapter 29

A/N: Hello all! Yes I know all you lucky duckies get another chapter! Woo! *fist pumps* Alright so now we're really getting into those final days before the wedding where everyone's preparing for the big event. This chapter should cover most if not all of Hermione's dress shopping adventures. Now I said dress shopping because I'm thinking the lingerie garment chapter will be after this one because it definitely needs its own chapter, yeah? Anywho, some of you may disagree with the color scheme I've chosen for Hermione's wedding to her Slytherin's but hopefully most of you will understand that I had a lot of fun deciding these things. Now, on with the story-MoonlitShadow

Hermione's feet were all bruised and sore and she was debating chucking her gladiator sandals over her shoulder and high tailing back to the floo point by the time the trip to the third wedding boutique was considered an utter failure.

So far, Hermione had been poked and prodded into trying on a various amount of dresses in all sorts of shapes and colors.

She had made it quite clear after about a five-minute argument with Narcissa and Cortana that she wanted a nontraditional wedding dress with nontraditional colors.

In the end, Evanka, Theo's mother ended up sticking up for the poor witch who seemed to be constantly railroaded into decisions by the others.

It was then after a small inspiring chat with Evanka, that Hermione decided exactly what she wanted for her wedding.

She announced to the group in the second bridal boutique while in a hideous purple and white gown that her wedding color scheme was hot pink, lemon, and tangerine and that they now were on the hunt for the perfect white wedding dress with some sort of hot pink accent.

At first, Narcissa and Cortana along with the rest of the girls were speechless at the bride to be's blatant outburst but

then Narcissa had let out an excited squeal and dabbed at her eyes with her now overused handkerchief and said that a

nontraditional wedding dress and a wedding with a bright color scheme was sure to be the chicest event that the

wizarding world had ever seen and that it would be sure to make the front page of the daily Prophet for weeks to come after that.

Hermione was beaming by the time they left, but not for long as they made their way through the streets in search of their fourth but certainly not final wedding boutique destination.

At least Hermione was hoping that it would be their final destination.

But all around her, the rest of the girls chattered on the different shapes, sizes and colors that could be involved in her new wedding dress design making her think that this definitely was not their last stop and that they would spend all day, if not all night searching the streets of the city of Paris which they had hurried to as soon as London had been seen as a failure.

Even the Slytherin girls had joined in on the action and had even become a bit friendly with the lions making Hermione believe that there may be some hope after all in making friends with the formerly fearsome girls.

Ginny had come to walk beside her and gently took her hand in her own pulling Hermione to a complete stop as the others passed them to go on up ahead to the next block.

"Mione, you alright? You look like Merlin's balls on a hot summer day. Should we call it a day and head home? I can try and convince the others to let you off for one more day about deciding on a dress."

Ginny said gently as Hermione shook her head tiredly with her shoulders slumped slightly in defeat.

"No, Gin. We need to find this damn dress if it's the last thing we do today. This wedding is approaching faster than any of us can believe and we need to be absolutely ready. Just because I'm tired as hell doesn't mean that we should stop the search. Now come on. I think Cissa has finally found what she's been bloody looking for."

Hermione said before lifting her head and squaring her shoulders and marching directly to the front of the line where Narcissa had found yet another bridal boutique for them to try. "Oh Hermione, dear. This is one of the most fashionable boutique's in the city. I'm sure we'll be able to find your dress here." Narcissa gushed as Cortana and Evanka stepped inside to consult with the bridal consultant. "I hope so." Hermione said with a small smile making Narcissa's eyes twinkle with mischief. "Oh, dear I think you'll find exactly what you're looking for. I just have a feeling." She said as she sent a wink her way and threaded her arm through Hermione's before practically skipping into the shop.

Cortana had cast a translator spell on the consultant so she could converse with them in their native English and as soon as Hermione entered the shop, the consultant narrowed her sights on the young bride.

"Mistress Granger, it is a pleasure to serve you as you become the head lady of the Malfoy estate."

The young woman said as she looked into Hermione's eyes knowingly.

Hermione glanced back at Narcissa who's smile had grown to astronomical proportions.

"Go on dear. Go try on some dresses. We'll wait for you over here."

Narcissa gently encouraged as she pushed her towards the consultant who was already getting a dressing room ready for the young witch.

Hermione smiled gratefully back at Narcissa before following the consultant into the dressing room where she promptly rid herself of her outer garments and was measured for an exact magical size for her very own wedding dress.

As soon as the consultant knew her size, she dashed off across the boutique searching for any dress that met her size and color requirements.

After a few moments, Hermione began to pace inside her dressing room nervously awaiting the arrival of her consultant to see the choices that she had in stock at this particular boutique.

A small knock sounded on the dressing room's door and when Hermione popped her head out, she was surprised to see Evanka standing there looking at her with a small smile.

"How goes your bridal boutique experience so far, my soon to be daughter?"

The older witch drawled in her native European accent. Hermione smiled and stood back so the woman could enter the dressing room and take a seat on one of the many tufted stools along the pink painted walls.

"Oh, it goes alright I suppose. I'm awfully tired after a full day's work of trying to find my dress. I never knew that finding one damn dress would take so long and would be such hard work."

Hermione giggled as she and Evanka sat side by side on two of the stools.

Evanka giggled along with her and nodded in understanding.

"Oh yes, no one really expects this part to be so hard but it often is one of the hardest parts of getting married for a young witch."

Evanka concurred making Hermione feel a bit reassured that she wasn't the only one who had trouble with their wedding dress shopping.

"I think that Cissa thinks that I'll find my dress in this shop though. I hope she's right because I'm about ready for this experience to be over and done with."

Hermione confided making Evanka smile reassuringly down at her.

"Oh, I think she is correct; Hermione dear. I think you will find exactly what you're looking for here in the city of lights."

Evanka said knowingly as her eyes flitted over to the dressing rooms white painted wooden door.

Hermione's brows furrowed and she cocked her head to the side in question.

"What do you mean? How would you know that I would find what I'm looking for here?"

Evanka laughed out loud and continued to titter with laughter until another knock, this time much louder came from the outside of the room.

"Oh, it's mother in law intuition I suppose."

She said ominously before giving Hermione's hand a gentle squeeze and opening the door wide so the consultant could enter with the dresses that she had chosen.

"I hope you're right."

Hermione called after her and she could've sworn she heard the witch's laughter long after she returned to the group on the other side of the boutique.

Hermione then turned her attention the consultant who she was embarrassed to say she hadn't been paying any attention to in the past five minutes that she had been explaining about each of the dresses that were hung on the rack in front of her.

Hermione dutifully tuned back in and the witch paused before giving a heavy sigh.

"You weren't listening to a thing I was saying were you?"

She drawled in a tell tale French accent making Hermione blush and shake her head.

The witch nodded in understanding and turned back to the dresses to re explain everything that she had just said.

It was then that Hermione noticed the four dresses that were hanging on the rack and just as if it was a sign from above, she raised her hand and promptly stopped the witch in her tracks.

"That one. I'd like to just try that one if it's alright."

She said as she looked at the dress in question with a look of complete awe and wonder.

The consultant smiled knowingly and took the dress off the hanger before handing it to Hermione to try on.

"Please let me know how you like it and if any alterations need to be made."

The woman said before she left Hermione alone in the dressing room with her dream dress clutched tightly in her hands.

As soon as she tried it on she noticed that it clung to all of her curves perfectly and was the perfect addition to what would be the most important day of her life.

She was beaming when she threw open the door to the dressing room and picked up her large ballgown skirt so she could hurry over to where her friends and new family were seated around a lone pedestal surrounded by mirrors.

As always, Ginny was the first to spot her and her face lit up in a wide grin as she saw Hermione rush forward and step onto the pedestal beaming with pride.

"Oh Merlin, Mione you look gorgeous! It's perfect!"

Ginny gushed as Luna nodded and the two came to join her where she stood gazing at herself in front of the mirrors.

Hermione did a little twirl and let out a girlish squeal before she caught Evanka's eye in the mirrors and the witch gave her a nod of approval as Cortana and Narcissa rushed forward to throw their arms dramatically around the young girl practically knocking her to the floor.

Ginny caught Hermione and righted her just in time before she hit the floor and sent a glare over at Narcissa who was weeping heavily on Hermione's shoulder who awkwardly gave the witch a pat.

"Oh Hermione darling! You look spectacular! Every witch in this century will want to have this dress after you wear it in your ceremony! You'll be the new it star for Witch Weekly, I'm just sure of it."

Narcissa babbled as Cortana nodded her head in eager agreement. Hermione blushed and caught the eyes of Pansy and Astoria who also wore small but satisfied smiles. Both girls gave a nod of approval to her and went to help Ginny and Luna pry Cortana and Narcissa off the blushing bride.

"Alright, alright. Blimey you two are a bloody handful."

Ginny exclaimed as she pulled on Narcissa trying to free Hermione from her mother in law's talon like grasp.

"You have no idea."

Pansy snickered as she and Astoria took hold of both women and gave a tug so they all landed promptly on their backsides on the boutique's marble floor.

Hermione could barely sense the chaos going on around her as tears began to form in her eyes and Evanka brought over a long, sparkling cathedral length veil and placed it gently in her hair.

"There. Now it's perfect."

The witch whispered in her ear as Hermione nodded and took in the sight of the white ball gown silhouette dress with a sweetheart strapless neckline and a large satin hot pink sash that was wrapped like a bow around her waist.

It was the only detail that was colored on the entire dress even though the rest of it sparkled and shimmered in the bright lights of the boutique.

It was perfect and Hermione knew that she had found the one that she would vow to love her Slytherin's forever in.


End file.
